


How to Save a Life

by tititenis



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Orphan Black Fusion, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-25
Updated: 2014-07-09
Packaged: 2018-02-06 03:35:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1842862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tititenis/pseuds/tititenis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Delphine Cormier has only had one goal since her family died: Revenge against the corporation responsible for it, the DYAD. Nevertheless, her priorities change when she meets funny and charming Cosima Niehaus and falls in love with her. Soon enough, Delphine will go against the DYAD and everything that she used to believe in. Her only goal now: Keep Cosima safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Guns and Conspiracies

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not very good with writing titles, and this is my first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. Comments and reviews are most definitely welcome.

Delphine was running through the forest, gun in hand. She knew that if she let her attacker escape then she was going to regret it for her whole life. Things were going according to plan. She had her cover ready and settled: She was supposed to be a Canadian doctor that came to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the DYAD University. Thankfully, her background in immunology allowed her to blend in with the set of doctors that were in the party. She was specifically looking for a man named Scott Dissick, a student that had direct contact with the list of guests. From there, she was supposed to find a man named Donnie Hendrix and make contact. She needed Dissick because she had no idea of how Donnie looked like and the guests list was the one that had a picture of each one of them. Delphine was used to having these kinds of missions, and so she did not expect any kind of complication. Scott was easy enough to spot, he was a little man that looked too embarrassed to cause any problem but also very smart. She approached the man and flashed him her biggest smile, making the man grow suddenly embarrassed.

“Hello.” She told him while putting her hand on his arm. “I was wondering if you could help me.”

Scott just stared at her, not believing that she was talking to him.

“You are the person that has the guests list, right?” she continued asking, trying to make him react.

“Yeees, yes I do.” He said embarrassed. “How may I help you?”

“Well, you see, I am Doctor Delphine Cormier and I just arrived today. I was supposed to meet my new colleague, Doctor Donnie Hendrix, but my plane got delayed and I was barely able to make it to the party on time. Since I have no idea of how he looks like, I was wondering if you could show me the picture that you have on your guests list.” Delphine finished while putting her body forward, trying to pressure the man. “You would really be a lifesaver.” She added. _Men and their ego to try to be the hero_.

Nevertheless, she saw that Scott was still insecure of showing her the list, and this made her grow impatient. She was not used to having men question her requests or even hesitate to help her. She was going to need a new plan, and the longer she lingered there, the more suspicious she was going to look. She was about to leave when she heard another voice.

“Are you having any problems Scott?” a woman asked. Delphine was getting irritated, but she still managed to smile and turn around. When she did she saw a petite woman with glasses and dreads that was smiling brightly towards her. She felt herself doubt her initial angriness and instead a real smile was produced out of her mouth.

“Well, you see, Doctor Cormier here just arrived and she asked me to look in the guests list for the picture of her new colleague.” Said Scott embarrassed. “But I know that it is against protocol…”

“Don’t worry Scott, I will handle this.” The petite woman smiled while Scott gave her the list. “They need you in the kitchen, apparently some douche decided to skip his shift and they are getting desperate.”

Scott nodded and quickly left the two women. Delphine was looking straight, analyzing and trying to understand how this petite woman functioned. She needed that list, and now she had a second chance at getting it.

“So, Doctor Cormier…” She said while scanning the list, probably looking for her name. “Can I call you Delphine instead?”

Delphine just looked straight, surprised by the cheekiness of the petite woman. “Only if you help me.” Delphine said while smiling flirtingly. The woman smiled back, looking around the list.

“Well, you see, Scott is right about protocol; I’m not supposed to show you the list. But then again, I’m quite intrigued. How come you don’t know your new lab colleague?”

Delphine was enjoying this conversation a lot. She was not used to having a person challenging her cover-up stories, they just accepted them, but this woman was smart. She saw between the small lines and questioned the logic behind them. Although right at this moment it was not such a good thing.

“As I told your friend, my flight from Canada got delayed and I barely made it to the party. We haven't had the chance to meet.”

“Bullshit.” She told Delphine while laughing. Delphine just stared straight, shocked but then she laughed with her. “Anyway, I really shouldn't do this, and you may have some secret motive for wanting to meet this man, but you are really cute and I can't say no to cute women.”

Delphine smiled, flattered and relieved by what the petite woman said.

“Just don’t tell my boss.” She whispered while she gave Delphine the list.

Delphine smiled broadly and took a look at the list quickly, finding the picture and then returning it to the woman.

“Never.” She whispered back, getting really close to the woman’s ear. “You still haven't told me your name.”

“Cosima.” She answered softly. “And I think you need to go because there goes Doctor Hendrix.” Cosima told her while pushing her forward.

Delphine nodded and looked at Cosima for one last time, the two not able to take their eyes off each other. Delphine was the one that turned first and went towards the hall, leaving the party, and most specifically, Cosima behind. Now that she knew how Dr. Hendrix looked like and was actually following him from a safe distance, Delphine was thinking about Cosima. The woman was smart, charming and pretty. Although she had never considered being with a woman, Delphine did not care about labels, but instead on the feelings and emotions that she shared with the person. She had to stop thinking about Cosima when she noticed that Hendrix stopped and started to walk around the place, obviously waiting for someone. As Delphine got closer, she heard someone around her and soon enough there was someone trying to choke her. She reacted and pushed her head backwards, hitting the man and almost knocking herself out, but nevertheless it was effective enough. She looked back to where Hendrix was and saw that he was gone. She was pissed, but then when she turned around to see her attacker she saw him running towards the forest. This was her only lead now and she was not going to rest until she caught him. She took out her gun, and just when she was about to turn around and go to back, she found the man resting on the corner. Without making a noise, Delphine approached the man from behind and pointed her gun straight to his head. She could hear him holding his breath, waiting for Delphine to talk.

“What you did was not nice at all. You made me lose my mark.” She teased while going in front of him. “Now I will do to you what I planned to do to him.” She added while taking the safety out of her gun. The man started to shiver and cry.

“Stop, I have information that can help you. I will tell you everything.”

“You have one minute.” Delphine answered coldly.

“They told me to follow Hendrix and see his contact, who is apparently in the business of building weapons for the military. My employer told me to just follow and report back to him, but then you saw me.”

Delphine stayed quiet, analyzing the information. “Tell me then, who is your employer?”

“I do not know, I get my assignments through emails.” He said while taking his phone out and giving it to Delphine. She took it and put it inside of her pocket. “Now will you let me go?”

“I said that I would do to you what I planned to do to him, and my plan was to just kill him.” She said while pulling the trigger.

* * *

 

“So, did she take the bait?” the man in the shadows asked.

“I think she did, last I saw of her she was running towards the forest.” Donnie Hendrix said while moving away from the gaze of the man. He did not like him at all, but after his wife had problems with the law, he had to comply with everything the man asked of him.

“Good, then the plan is already set in motion. You need to continue your role as Doctor Hendrix and expect Miss Cormier to try to contact you. When she does, you will let me know.”

“And then we are done, right?” Donnie said while getting up, wanting to leave and go back home.

The man just looked straight at him. “You will be done when I tell you that you are done. Remember Mr. Hendrix, I can make come back everything that I helped disappear, and I'm pretty certain that Miss Hendrix will be facing the consequences.”

Donnie just looked straight at him, hating the man with every part of his being. When they told him about this man that made problems just “disappear” he was surprised by the easiness of the process, just told to expect a call when they would need a favor. A few months later the call came, and since then he was under the control of this man who did not share anything with Donnie, only the necessary for him to maintain his façade as a Doctor. He had to thank the insistence of his wife Alison when she asked him to take acting classes with her. Who would have thought, definitely not him, that they would prove to be quite useful. Donnie quickly stood up and left the room, not wanting to stay another moment with this ruthless man. 

The man stood up from his chair and went to get his phone. Soon he heard a voice on the other line.

“Donnie is on the move.” he said.

“Does he suspect?”

“He thinks that he is setting the trap and not that it is truly the opposite way.”

“Good, he has done his job, and now that we have Miss Cormier in motion he has become a liability, and I do not like liabilities.”

“I understand.” he answered while resting his hand on his legs. “I assure you that Donnie Hendrix is going to be handled.”

“Good, confirm me when this is done.” the voice said while hanging the phone. The man just stayed there, watching his phone and dialing another number. It was certainly tiring to be in his position.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Of Guns and Horses by Ellie Goulding (I recommend the Tonga Remix)


	2. Anything Could Happen

It was almost time for her sister to come out and accept her diploma and Cosima couldn't be prouder. It had been four years since she found out that she had an identical sister named Sarah and that she lived in London. The reasons behind their separation were still obscure, but being Cosima a curious person, she managed to find and contact her. Their first encounter was strange, but warm nonetheless, and after that they became inseparable. Both of them adopted, Cosima had a privileged upbringing with a nice and caring family while Sarah had the complete opposite. Her cold behavior and personality discouraged many families from adopting her and because of that she spent a great amount of time jumping from one foster home to another. She finally settled with a single woman named Siobhan, or Mrs. S as she liked to call her. The main reason behind Sarah's change of heart was because with Mrs. S there was a boy named Felix, who was also an orphan. He and Sarah became inseparable and now they are very protective of one another. At first, Felix was hesitant and distant towards Cosima, not quite accepting Sarah's new friend and sister. Cosima thought that he felt jealous of her, and even of Sarah, because she managed to get what most orphan children wanted: a real family. Because of her constant moving and jumping from family to family, Sarah was not able to finish her high school studies, and after having Kira she thought that that was the end. Nevertheless, Cosima insisted on her continuing her studies now that Kira was old enough to go to school, and after a couple of years (two thanks to the government programs for grown-ups), Sarah was able to get her college diploma. Cosima on the other hand was still studying for her P.H.D and that meant that she was constantly writing papers and going to labs. She was studying evolutionary development and although she sometimes felt tired, she loved her career and was looking forward to her graduation in 1 year. When Cosima heard Sarah's name be called she suddenly got up and started to clap and whistle with Felix and Kira following her lead. Sarah looked around the crowd until she found them and gave them a warm smile while she raised her diploma and kissed it. As Cosima saw, they were the most scandalous ones and got only stern looks from the rest of the people. She never cared about what others thought about her, and after a while she found out that the rest of her new family thought the same way.

When the ceremony was over, Cosima moved around the different groups that were already there talking and laughing with the other graduates. She was looking for Sarah and the rest, realizing that she fell behind when she got a phone call from Scott. Scott was her best friend from the P.H.D program, and although he was a little weird and slow, he was nice and always willing to help. Not realizing that she was looking at the charts that Scott sent her, she felt herself fall to the floor and sit on her phone. Cursing to herself for her lack of balance and coordination, she stopped as soon as she heard someone laugh at her rant. Looking up she saw the same tall blonde woman from the DYAD party looking at her with sweet eyes. Cosima suddenly stopped talking and just stayed there looking at her. She knew that she was pretty, but now that she saw her during the daylight her beauty was even greater. Also, there was an easiness that she radiated that made Cosima feel warm and suddenly at a loss for words. The blonde woman just kept on smiling and stretched her hand so Cosima could grab it and stand up.

“Are you alright?” she heard the blonde woman ask her, a faint accent noticeable. She didn't remember her having this accent on that night, but then again, before talking to her she had like four glasses of wine.

“Whoa, I'm like totally sorry for what you just heard”. Cosima apologized immediately while moving her hands from side to side. “I was distracted, as always, so always kinda sorry” she said while smiling. The other girl just started to laugh and she stretched her hand again.

“I believe we have met before” she told her warmly. “Cosima, right?” _She still remembered her name_.

“And you are Doctor Cormier.” Cosima answered while smiling at the same time.

“Nice to see you again” Cosima held her breath while she tried to not look like a fool for staring and staying blank for too long.

“Enchantee” said Cosima with an awful English accent that made Delphine laugh again. “Well, excuse me for not speaking French, mademoiselle” this she said while lightly brushing her hand on Delphine's shoulder.

“Non, that is quite alright. Also, how did you know that I speak French?”

“You have a very hot French accent, but then I remembered that you said that you came from Canada, so that means that you must be from the French part of the country.” Cosima said embarrassed, noticing how she just dorked out on the woman.

“Quebec.” Delphine answered her sweetly. “And it is actually quite refreshing. You have a cute, bad American accent” she added while looking at Cosima more intensely.

Cosima felt the sudden change and tried to act indifferently towards it. “So, should I feel flattered or insulted? Because if I understood correctly, you just said that my bad accent made it be cute?” she raised her eyebrows.

Delphine laughed. “You are, what's the word that I am looking for?...”

“Charming, smart, adorable, hot?” Cosima said while laughing.

Delphine laughed with her. “Cheeky, that's the word. But then again, that doesn't make what you said less true.”

While Delphine said this she started to bit her lower lip, and Cosima started to get closer to her without noticing what she was doing.

“Oi, Cosima” she suddenly heard through the fog that was created by Delphine's presence. A little irritated by the interruption, Cosima turned around and saw Sarah, Felix and Kira come towards her, all smiling. This made Cosima smile too and look back at Delphine, who was looking at Sarah with a face of curiosity.

“There you are little shite” Sarah told her warmly while hugging her, Cosima smiled and returned the hug. “I was expecting you to be more excited and actually come find me, but it turns out that you were busy” Sarah finished while eyeing Delphine with curiosity.

“Actually, I was looking for you, but then you know me and my lack of coordination, so I ended up falling and Delphine here was nice enough to help me get up." _And of course then we started talking and maybe flirting, but then who cares, right?_   Cosima thought to herself.

"Well, then I guess I have to thank you Delphine". Sarah said while she extended her hand. "My name is Sarah, and this is my brother Felix and my daughter Kira". The two of them nodded at Delphine and she answered them with a big smile.

"It is nice to meet you all, and also congratulations on your graduation Sarah."

"Who from your family is graduating today Delphine?" Felix asked her.

"No one, actually. I come from France, and my roommate has a sister who is also graduating today. He asked me if I could come with him and I said yes".

Cosima suddenly stayed cold. "Wait, did you mean to say a roommate like a friend, or roommate like a companion?"

"Oh, pardon" Delphine said embarrassed. "Sometimes when I translate straight from French I forget that in English the word means something completely different."

Cosima noticed that Delphine didn't bother to stop looking at her while she talked, and this only made Cosima feel more upset with what she was finding out about her relationship status.

"So does that means yes to the roommate or yes to the companion?" Sarah asked carefully while watching her sister.

She knew Cosima well and she also saw the way the two of them were looking at each other. Delphine was going to answer but they were suddenly interrupted by an old man. Cosima remembered seeing the man in the ceremony, finding him odd and strange. Funny that now he was coming towards them, eyeing Delphine and the rest of the group. He had a confident smile and this just made Cosima automatically dislike him. He went right next to Delphine and put his hand across her shoulder. Delphine winced a little but did not move, instead she smiled. Cosima noticed the sudden change, but decided to keep it to herself, instead more interested in finding out who this man was.

"Delphine, I was looking for you." he said while he eyed the group. "I thought you were going to meet me near the entrance of the theater."

Cosima felt angry. She didn't know the man, or the relationship he had with Delphine, but it was clear that she was uncomfortable. The way he moved around her, as if he owned her, just made things be worse for Cosima, who was having a hard time pretending not to care. Not that she had the right or obligation to care, but nevertheless she did not like the way the man looked at Delphine; like an object of pleasure.

"I'm sorry Aldous, I was coming but then I bumped into Cosima and we stayed talking." Delphine answered quietly.

"Pleasure to meet you all." he said absently. The rest of the group murmured a response.

"Well, once you are done you can come find me at the entrance. Remember that we have a dinner reservation at 8:00pm."

Cosima could have sworn that he said dinner reservation while looking at her as in a way of saying: 'don't even think about it.' Really, this guy was completely getting under Cosima's skin. She did the best thing that she could think of.

"Oh Sarah I just remembered. Allison asked me to call her as soon as you were done, but I kinda forgot. Could you call her instead? I mean, she probably wants to talk more to you than me anyway."

"Sure thing Cos." Sarah told her quietly while leaving the two women alone. "We will be waiting for you in the parking lot, remember we have to pick up Helena from work before we go to the buffet."

"Sooo." Cosima said quietly. "That's your companion?" a hint of angriness in her voice that she didn't quite understand.

"Non, it's more complicated than that." Delphine answered while getting closer to Cosima. "I want to explain, but not here and not now."

Cosima couldn't help but smile. "Are you asking me out on a date Delphine?"

Delphine also smiled, amused by the cheekiness of Cosima. "Oui, you could call it a date."

Cosima wanted to be cool and pretend like it was nothing, as she usually did, but she heard herself act the opposite way. "Yeah, I mean, like it's totally cool with me. Just tell me the time and place and I will like be there."

"Ok, give me your number and I will text you the address of the place."Delphine said while giving Cosima her phone.

She saw her quickly type and then she got her phone back. Before she could confirm, she saw Cosima smiling and making gestures that she was running late and that Sarah would kill her. Delphine smiled and checked what Cosima just typed. Right next to her phone number there was an address and a time along with the line:  _Just in case you forget to call._  Delphine´s smile became wider, already wondering what Cosima had in mind.

* * *

 

"What was that all about Delphine?" Aldous asked her while they were eating.

She never liked to be in these kinds of situation with him, especially since he tried to make their partnership become something more. She refused, but then as soon as she did he was watching her every move like a hawk, barely allowing her to breathe.

"I was walking around the school, looking for our target and out of nowhere I saw this woman fall. Since I didn't want anyone to suspect of my cover I did what I thought would make me blend right in and I went to help her." said Delphine while eating her food.

She did help Cosima at first because she thought that it would be obvious that something was wrong if she didn't help her, but then staying and meeting her family was something that she didn't plan on and that she actually enjoyed. She had to admit that there was something about Cosima that drew her towards her, that made her be flirty and open about her personal life.

"I also thought that we agreed that our relationship would only be a professional one, and you just went ahead and did the complete opposite." Delphine complained.

"Well, since the group to which you were talking to was of two women and a gay man, I took the liberty of assuming that you wouldn't be interested in neither of them." Aldous said pointedly. "Or were you interested?" Aldous asked her mischievously.

"I will pretend that I did not hear that last question and my personal life is none of your business." Delphine said quietly.

He was right. Why would she be angry or even care what Cosima thought of her? She barely knew her, but nevertheless, there she was, arguing with Aldous and waiting for tomorrow to come. She was supposed to meet Cosima in the afternoon to explain her relationship with Aldous, and although there really was no relationship, she hated to admit that Aldous was now a big part of her life. They were both looking for the same thing, revenge, and they had been working on their plan for the last couple of years. Years in which she barely slept, trained herself to become aware of her surroundings, how to influence people to act and do the things she wanted and anticipate their every move. This was her sole purpose for even being in London, but now, there was another thing on her mind. Not a thing, but a woman with glasses and a crooked-inviting smile.

“So how was your trip to the DYAD party?” Aldous asked her quietly.

“Frustrating and then rewarding.” she answered while drinking her wine. “There was another person following Doctor Hendrix, Aldous. He almost blew my cover but did warn Hendrix of our presence hence making him run.”

“So then we haven't established contact with him. What a waste.” he added bitterly.

“Not exactly.” Delphine said while putting her glass down. “I did get the hitter's cell phone and went through his emails, confirming that he was indeed hired by an anonymous bidder, which means that we are not alone anymore in this game.”

“This is surprising, but not unexpected. This means that we need to move faster.”

Delphine was going to respond, but she suddenly heard the noise that the phone of the man made inside of her pocket. Taking it out and reading the message, she alerted Aldous.

"The hitter just got a text. It says that they are waiting for him in The Great Damn."

"It's important that we check this place and the person that is also in contact with him. Go and do not let him see you. Remember, it's quite important that we find out who else may be aware of the importance of Donnie Hendrix."


	3. Seen and Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed, the chapters are named based on songs. If you like to listen to music while reading, then I recommend you to listen to the song that I used for the title.

Delphine stood up and left the restaurant, going to where her car was. She was completely overdressed for the place where the mark was going, and the usual pair of spare clothes that she carried with her was nowhere to be seen. Knowing that she couldn't waste any more time she decided to go just like that and invent some lame excuse. She had learned that the more self-pity an excuse sounded, the more believable it would be to the rest of people. She was going as fast as she was allowed, thinking about how she was going to avoid being seen. As soon as she arrived to the address she got out of the car and started to analyze the place. It appeared to be a restaurant, but not as nice and expensive as the one she had just left. Deciding that she would pretend to have ordered takeout, she called form outside of the restaurant and ordered whatever took the longest to cook. According to the cook, she had twenty five minutes until her order was ready, which meant that she had just enough time to see the mark and with whom the mark was.

She went inside the restaurant, saying hi and approaching the waitress who told her to wait in the bar while they were preparing her food. She complied and soon found herself with a drink in her hand scanning the room. She took the cellphone out and sent a text message, hoping that the mark would see it. The mark was nowhere to be found, and for a moment she thought that they got the wrong place, but as soon as this thought was being created she saw him walking out of the restrooms towards the dining room with his phone in his hand, and soon enough she got a text, confirming the meeting for later. Delphine stood up quickly, moving silently around people and focusing on the mark. He was approaching a big table where there seemed to be a party of some sort, and just when Delphine started to get closer she saw her.

Right on the table where her mark was heading she saw Cosima with her sister Sarah. They were both talking and laughing while Felix was cutting the meat out of Kira's plate. Delphine panicked, not knowing what to do. Her brain told her to abort the mission and leave the restaurant, but then there was this other part of her that made her hesitate just enough so that Cosima could glance forward and recognize her. Delphine saw Cosima looking at her, not quite sure if it was actually her or just another person. Going against her instincts, Delphine smiled and Cosima got up. She could see Sarah being surprised by Cosima's sudden action and looking to where she was standing. Recognition flicked in Sarah's face and she decided to pay more attention to what Felix and Kira were doing instead. Delphine saw quickly that the mark sat right next to Sarah and whispered something in her ear, action that made Sarah laugh and hit him softly on the shoulder.

Delphine liked this situation less and less.

"Delphine, what the hell are you doing here?" she heard Cosima tell her while looking at her. "And by the way, I don't know how you French people usually dress, but here in America, for this kind of restaurant, you are like completely overdressed. Not that I complain." She finished while grinning at her.

Delphine couldn't help herself and she also laughed. "Oui, je comprends. I am just waiting for my order to be ready. And technically, I’m not French, I just speak French"

Cosima started to look around, Delphine not quite sure of why. "Did you come alone?"

"Yes, let's just say that my date didn't go according to plan and now I find myself extremely hungry."

"Sacre bleu! Now what are you going to do?" Cosima told her mockingly.

Delphine started to laugh like crazy, tears even running down her cheeks.

"Why are you laughing?” Cosima asked her sweetly, also laughing because of Delphine's laugh.

"That phrase, 'Sacre Bleu' it's something that I haven't heard in a long time. Actually, something that no one has heard."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the only people that say it are like 90 years old." Delphine replied while starting to laugh again. Cosima just looked at her pretending to be shocked.

"I am such a loser. I like, went to google translator and researched for the word and even practiced the pronunciation. Turns out, no one uses the word anymore. Damn you, google translator."

Delphine stopped laughing and looked intensely at Cosima. "You were learning French phrases?"

She could see that Cosima was embarrassed, but nevertheless she answered. "I mean, yeah, I wanted to surprise you on our date tomorrow and not look like a complete idiot, which I ended up doing anyway."

Delphine was surprised by Cosima's gesture, and she involuntarily got closer to Cosima, suddenly smelling her perfume and something else that she quite couldn't place. "Well, I am a very cheesy person, and let me tell you that this is the sweetest thing that someone has done for me."

This made Cosima smile from ear to ear, and just when she was going to tell her something else, Delphine heard the waitress calling her last name. Her time was up and she had spent it talking with Cosima. She was ecstatic about it, but Aldous was going to make her a lot of problems for the lack of information that she obtained about the mark.

"Well, I guess that is my cue to go." she said to Cosima while giving one last look at the table. She gestured goodbye and got the same answer from Sarah, Felix, Kira and even the mark. Her attention was then back to Cosima who was stretching her hand. Delphine looked at it, not understanding the purpose. Cosima laughed.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me too?"

"Ohh, that's true, you Americans shake hands." Delphine bit her lower lip, not quite sure of saying what she had in mind. She decided to say it anyway. "Do you know how we French-Canadians say goodbye?"

Before she allowed Cosima the time to answer, Delphine went forward and almost touched Cosima's lips, lingering there for a second before she went to the left side of her cheek and kissed it slowly. She did the same thing again and went to her right cheek and kissed it, hearing how Cosima's breathing stopped. This made her smile and she saw that Cosima was also smiling at her.

"Au revoir, Cosima." Delphine whispered while she went to the front desk and got her food. She could see how Cosima was looking at her and she heard her say.

"Yeah, like au revoir, yeah."

Delphine was all smiles as she went to her car and drove to the hotel where she was staying. She decided that it was better to not contact Aldous and just wait for their daily meeting at the end of the day. This gave her enough time to think about the only person that seemed to now control her.: Cosima.

* * *

“Oi, what the hell just happened Cos?” Sarah asked her. She was still numbed from Delphine’s kisses and this made Sarah be pissed.

“Shite head, I’m talking to you. Earth to Cosima.” Sarah punched Cosima.

“Ouuuuch, bitch, you didn’t need to do that!” Cosima said angrily. “That like really hurt. Still, it’s going to be really hard to get me in a bad mood after that goodbye.”

“Seriously, you are so cheesy Cosima.” Felix told her while laughing. “Well, was it as good as they say? You know, that French people are all about flirting and being hot at the same time, besides being really open to new experiences.”

Cosima and Sarah rolled their eyes at the same time, sometimes Felix just said really stupid things. “First time ever I hear someone say that.” Sarah answered him.

“And she is not French, she is Canadian.” Cosima added matter of factly.

“Oi Cal, you should be helping me here.” Felix said hastily.

“Oh no, you are alone in that fight. I never really liked foreigners. No offense there.” He said while looking at Sarah.

“None taken, I mean, I did steal from you…”

“Point taken.” Cosima said, wanting to change the subject. “Did someone tell her that we were coming here?”

“Didn’t you?” Sarah asked her while getting up.

“No, we agreed to go out tomorrow.”

“Well, that’s odd. Guess destiny is really smiling at you.” Cal said while getting Kira out of the restaurant.

“I guess it is.” Cosima answered excitedly. “Not that I don't like your company, but I need a good sleep so that I look my best for my date.”

Sarah just scorned and went inside the car. She still didn’t like Delphine and the bond that Cosima was developing for her. Cosima just smiled. “You are still my favorite person, you know.” This made Sarah relax.

“Just be careful Cos, it strikes me as odd, you know how she got here and stuff.”

“You are just being paranoid Sarah.” Cosima answered her.

“I worry about you geek monkey. I know you are smarter than me and shite, but your heart always gets the best of you.”

“I won’t apologize for my heart, but I promise you that I won’t be fooled again. I learned my lesson.” Cosima said coldly.

“Good, then have fun tomorrow and let me know how it goes.” Sarah told her calmly.

Cosima kissed Felix, Kira and Cal goodbye and hailed a cab that would take her home. She appreciated Sarah’s concern, but then again, she knew that Sarah didn’t like Delphine. Hell, she never liked the women that Cosima dated, now that she thought about it. But the last one was the one that she really hated. Her name was Rachel Duncan, and at first she thought that she was just another misunderstood successful woman. They started to date and after the first month things got crazy: jealousy rants, hatred towards Sarah and her family, and finally a desire to keep Cosima away from everyone. She still didn’t understand why it took her so long to notice how consuming Rachel was, and when she did it wasn’t a good moment in her life. Nevertheless, thanks to Sarah and her family, she was able to move forward and continue her studies. Being honest, she moved just because she wanted to get away from Rachel and everything that reminded her of what she lived. London seemed like the best choice, Sarah and her family living there, along with the fact that there was this school, DYAD University that was said to be one of the bests in Evolutionary Development in the world.

Cosima was so excited about her date tomorrow that she didn’t notice the fact that she still had to make all the preparations for the date. They were going to one of her favorite places, a small cottage that she discovered on one of her many “happy journeys”. She had to go earlier and get everything set up. She didn’t understand why she cared that much, she never did, but there was something almost mysterious that drew Cosima towards Delphine. She knew that Sarah was right about her suspicions, and that she just met the girl a few days ago, but still there she was, preparing her sanctum sanctorum to be seen for the first time ever by eyes that were not her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Seen and Gone by Kultiration


	4. Cottage de Flore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First time I try to write one of these "steamy chapters". If for some reason you feel uncomfortable with this kind of scenes then you may want to skip the next two chapters. The only thing you would be missing is some small talk and the "get to know you better" stage.

Cosima heard the alarm clock and started to move lazily out of bed. She loved to sleep, being something that once you are in college you start to get less and less. Looking at the time, she darted upright and started to curse.

“Fuck, I overslept.” She said as she went to the shower to take a quick bath. Thankfully she had already bought the stuff that she planned to cook for the date, so that was one less thing to do. Looking at herself in the mirror, she decided that she looked decent enough. She was wearing a purple dress with leggings and a big red coat to cover everything (London was a very cold city). She got out of the house and took the bus. Looking at the time she realized that she was one hour behind schedule. _I really need to start saving money and buy a car,_ she thought to herself. Her stop was the last one that the bus made, which meant that it was probably going to take half an hour to get to the cottage and start working on everything. She really hoped that Delphine was not a punctual person, especially today. Cosima went quickly inside the cottage and saw that the place was surprisingly clean. _How high must she have been the last time she came here?_ Anyways, it was clean and that was what mattered. She quickly went to the kitchen and started to take everything out of the bags, being careful enough to not break the nice bottle of wine that she bought for the occasion. Cosima was going through a mental checkout of the place for one last time, wanting everything to be perfect for when Delphine arrived. The rooms were clean, there was paper and towels on the restrooms, and the table was already set for two with a big white candle in the middle. _Felix was right, she was such a cheesy person._ It didn't matter because she wanted Delphine to have a good time and be relaxed, enough pressure she must feel by being with that old man. Cosima couldn’t take that thought out of her mind, becoming more annoyed with each new theory that she created. Could it be her uncle? No, he seemed to be more sexual with her, so then an ex-lover? Cosima didn't even like the fact that Delphine could have been in a relationship with a person like that, but then again, who was she to judge? There was a knock on the doorbell and Cosima jumped in anticipation. She literally ran towards the door and stopped briefly to check if it was Delphine. She opened the door and there she was, looking amazing with shorts and a colorful shirt that was transparent enough to allow a little glimpse of her bra. Cosima struggled to talk for a couple of seconds.

“Bonjour Cosima. Comment allez vous?” she asked her while smiling. Cosima just stayed quiet, not able to concentrate.

“Pardon, I meant, how are you?” Delphine repeated in English, assuming that Cosima had not understood the first time she said it.

“Great, great! Please, don't just stand there and come in!” Cosima told her while she moved out of the way and gestured Delphine to come forward. She saw how Delphine started to look around the place.

“Is this where you live?”

“No, I live in the city. I actually found this place by pure chance, and just kept coming and coming. No one else has ever come, so I decided to spend a little bit and make it more comfy, turns out it was the best investment I ever made.”  Cosima started to talk and talk.

“I didn't know what to bring because I didn't know what you were planning to do, but I think that this will match anyway.” She said while she handed Cosima a bouquet of daffodils.

“They are awesome Delphine, thanks so much.” Cosima said while she quickly went to the kitchen to get a vase with water. “The food is not ready yet, so I thought that we could drink a glass of wine and…” she suddenly stopped as she saw that Delphine was not in the living room anymore. She went to the main porch and ended up seeing Delphine walking near the ocean. She went inside again to take one last look at the food, and then decided to go out as well.

“You left me there talking all by myself.” She told Delphine while she gave her the glass of wine. Delphine took it while smiling.

“Pardon, it is just that this view is really beautiful.”

“Ditto, obvs.” Cosima said while looking at Delphine.

Delphine noticed this and started to laugh. “You are the sweetest thing ever.”

“Ohh, don’t do that.” Cosima said dramatically. “That is like a nice way of saying that a person is totally lame.”

Delphine laughed again and left the empty glass of wine on the sand. Cosima was waiting for her to add something, but then she was surprised when Delphine started to take her shorts and shirt off.

“What are you doing?” Cosima whispered.

“Well, going for a swim of course. Don't Americans do that all the time?”

“I mean yeah, but like…” Cosima started to say, but Delphine put her hand on top of her mouth.

“Are you going to keep talking or are you coming with me?”

Cosima didn't think twice and started to take her clothes off. She felt Delphine’s stare, making her striptease become way less coordinated. In no time the both of them were standing in the sand with only their underwear.

“After you Frenchie.” Cosima mocked Delphine while pushing her towards the sea. Delphine laughed and started to run forward going inside and feeling the cold water hit her. She muffled a scream with her hand, but Cosima did not intend on being so prude.

“Fuuuuck, the water is freeeezing.” She screamed while moving around Delphine, trying to get warm by running. Delphine laughed at Cosima, suddenly noticing how her underwear fitted her perfectly, along with the fact that it was almost transparent thanks to the water. Delphine quickly stopped laughing and felt herself approaching Cosima.

Cosima was still moving and running around, trying to warm herself. She stopped when she felt a small amount of water coming towards her way, and when she looked up she saw Delphine approaching her. Cosima stayed still, waiting. When Delphine got right next to her, she saw her gaze down, and when she did, she noticed that her underwear was not as waterproof effective as she thought. Embarrassed, she tried to cover herself but was suddenly stopped by Delphine.

“You do not need to that.” She simply said.

Cosima just froze, not willing to do a move that could ruin the moment. She saw Delphine come towards her, and just when she thought that she was going to kiss her, she felt Delphine go right next to her and get out of the water. Disappointed, Cosima followed her and both went to get their clothes and the glasses of wine. Delphine did not say a word, just gesturing Cosima to go before her. When she got inside the house, Cosima went straight to the kitchen, too ashamed to look at Delphine. She had misinterpreted Delphine’s words and now she felt really embarrassed. She turned around to face Delphine.

“I feel really embarrassed about what happened before, totally wrong of me to put you in that uncomfortable situation, but hey, I didn't know that we were going to swim.” She said while smiling. “So then, that kinda makes it your fault and not…” Cosima was abruptly stopped by Delphine, who in a matter of seconds had gone from the door to the kitchen and pressed her lips on Cosima’s.

“You talk too much.” She managed to breathe as she kept kissing Cosima non-stop. Cosima dropped her hands and embraced Delphine tighter, getting to feel her skin right next to hers. Cosima started to trace Delphine’s lips with her tongue, telling her to open more her mouth. Delphine complied, and as soon as she did she felt Cosima’s tongue inside, trying to touch every part of her mouth. Delphine moaned, not quite ready for the storm of passion that Cosima had.

“Merde Cosima.” She whispered again as she felt Cosima take her bra off and her hands teasing her. Delphine did the same, trying to reciprocate every sensation that Cosima made her feel. Both of them were touching each other uncontrollably, none quite ready to keep going down, but nevertheless the warmth that they started to experience made Cosima separate from Delphine and lead her to the bedroom. In there, Cosima pushed Delphine towards the bed and fell on top of her, trailing kisses along her body and from time to time leaving small marks that would only be seen by her. Delphine moaned at each kiss, and screamed at each mark that Cosima left. When she felt Cosima’s fingers in her core, she pushed her hips forward, wanting the contact of her fingers. Cosima smiled, taking her fingers out when Delphine pushed her hips forward.

“Cosimaaaaa,” Delphine complained. “You are such a brat.”

Cosima laughed, but then went and kissed Delphine while at the same time giving her what she was craving. She felt Delphine’s muffled scream inside of her mouth, and as she moved her hand, she could hear how Delphine was pushing against it, becoming faster and faster.

“Putein, Cosimaa.” Delphine screamed as she felt the wave of pleasure consume her, her body enjoying the ride that it just had. She felt Cosima lay right next to her, and surprising both of them, Delphine recovered and turned enough so that she could put her hand inside Cosima’s underwear.

“You are so ready.” She told Cosima while she toyed with her. Cosima started to groan, desperate to feel Delphine. She complied, and right away she took away her panties and pushed inside. Cosima jumped, surprised by how fast it was, and as soon as she did she felt Delphine move on top of her, looking for her face. She complied, and while she was being kissed all over her body, she was rocking against Delphine’s hand. It wasn't long until she felt her body explode.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Cafe de Flore by Dr. Rockit


	5. I Need Your Love

“That was amazing.” She whispered to Delphine.

Delphine laughed and kissed her on the lips, but this time softly. Both of them were tired but at the same time restless.

“Sooo…” Cosima started to say. “Is this what you wanted to tell me?”

Delphine laughed, searching for Cosima’s face and kissing her again. “Non, ma Cherie, but I am not upset about how things turned out.”

“I think that what you are trying to do is distract me.” Cosima joked, but nevertheless she felt Delphine go stiff.

“Perhaps. I am really sorry about that. I said that I would explain everything, so ask me and I will try to answer all your questions.” Delphine said while looking straight up. She was a little worried, but she owned Cosima this. Also, she wanted to tell Cosima, her rational part demanding her to stop, that this was a bad idea and that once you share your feelings then it is more difficult to get detached. She knew this, but then she also decided when they were on the sea that she wanted Cosima to herself.

She saw Cosima smile. “Ok. So tell me Delphine, what did you especialize in?”

Delphine started to laugh, realizing that they never went over the common formalities. “Well, I have a doctorate in immunology and I came to London to start a new study financed by the DYAD.” She said, feeling a little bit upset. She technically wasn't lying to Cosima, because she did finish her doctorate in immunology, but nevertheless, that was not the reason why she was in London. 

Delphine could see that Cosima was surprised. “That’s hella cool. I´m also spending my time at the DYAD, but sadly still studying. I'm trying to get my PHD in evo-devo!”

Delphine was perplexed, trying to understand the American slang. “Evooolutionary Development?”

“Yeah! That’s just the way we say it here. I knew that I found you hot for some reason, turns out you are not only French, but also a very smart science geek. Fuck, you are the whole package.” Cosima said while laughing.

“You are too kind.” Delphine told her while smiling. The more she got to know Cosima, the more attracted she felt towards her. “And I told you, I'm not French, I just speak French.”

Cosima smiled. “Same thing.”

“You are such a brat.” Delphine answered sweetly, taking Cosima's hand and kissing it softly.”

“Have you ever, you know, been with a girl?”

“Non.” Delphine answered embarrassed. _Had it been obvious?_

Cosima suddenly realized the way her question could be interpreted. “I mean, you were amazing, and I realize how my question sounded, and I’m a total asshole, and now I want to crawl in bed and die a little bit.” _Fuck me, I must really be stupid._

“That’s alright.” Delphine told her while she moved around the bed. Cosima grabbed her and forced her to stay there.

“Don’t even think about moving, mademoiselle Cormier. I feel really bad about what I said, I think I owe you an apology.”

Delphine failed to notice the way Cosima said ‘apology’ so she was trying to stop Cosima from talking, but then she felt Cosima kissing her stomach and her words stayed in her mouth, replaced by the need to kiss Cosima. She was able to feel how Cosima started to kiss every part of her body, staying in the spots that she found out earlier were the ones Delphine enjoyed the most.

“Cosima.” Delphine whispered, her name always on her mind.

“Yes, Delphine?” she heard Cosima answer her softly from the inside of her tights.

“Come here.” She told her, desperation in her voice.

Cosima complied, and she felt Delphine’s lips on her own, kissing and biting desperately. “I was really rude to you a few moments ago, do you remember?”

“Oui.”

“So, I thought that an apology is required, am I correct?” Cosima said this while moving away, repositioning herself on Delphine’s tights.

“Oui.”

“So, I am going to make it up to you.” She added as Delphine felt her tongue right there. She darted her eyes open, enjoying the way Cosima was exploring down there, switching between her tongue and teeth.

“Mon Dieu, Cosima.” She yelled, suddenly growing desperate.

Delphine felt Cosima’s tongue push inside and moving from side to side, making her propel her hips forward in anticipation. Cosima stayed there, moving non stop until she heard Delphine scream her name. Just when Delphine was expecting Cosima to come and lay next to her, she felt her positioning herself right in front of her, her pelvis right there and beginning to grind against her. Delphine’s pelvis moved forward, looking for friction, and soon enough she was panting again, ready to come for a second time. This time, Cosima came with her, and as Delphine came out of her second orgasm in a matter of minutes, she felt Cosima push her fingers inside. The other hand went to her breasts, teasing and pushing her nipple. Delphine couldn’t take it anymore, and she again started to feel herself get ready, her body being filled by Cosima. She shortly remembered the conversation they had yesterday, and how in that moment she wanted to just go and kiss her. She was now doing that and more, and she was not willing to give her up, not to anything. Cosima moved her hand faster, and Delphine screamed.

“Sacre Bleu!” she said while she collapsed, too tired to open her eyes. Cosima was laying right next to her, laughing.

“Miss Cormier, did you just came with what I just heard?”

“Shut up” She told her while sloppily kissing her face. She was too tired to move from the bed, the waves of pleasure too much to bear. She just wanted to hold Cosima and stay with her for the whole day.

“I hope that you can forgive me now.” Cosima said playfully.

Delphine just hummed her content, trying to smell every part of Cosima, but along with Cosima's smell she felt something else. As she started to smell harder she saw that Cosima also caught the strange smell, darting forward and standing up.

“Fuck, the food.” Cosima said while standing up. Delphine stayed there, waiting for her to come back. When she did, she saw that Cosima was laughing apologetically, with a bag of chips and a dip in her hands.

“This is so not what I had in mind.” She said embarrassed. “But I kinda burned our food.”

Delphine laughed, getting up from the bed and kissing her again. She was getting surprised at how normal this felt for her. “That’s quite alright ma Cherie, besides I’m just as guilty as you are.”

“It’s just that I had everything planned, and you know, although I just met you I feel a connection with you. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like I already know you.” Cosima said, immediately regretting it. “But now you will probably think that I’m crazy.”

Delphine got closer and kissed her, realizing that this was the best way to make her stop talking. “I feel the exact same thing. For some strange reason, I feel myself being drawn to you, all lust and passion inside of me exploding and wanting to be satisfied. I’m not usually like this, like a horny teenager, but then I have never felt this way.” Delphine said, not expecting to go so much into details. Seriously, Cosima was too dangerous for her; she made her feel vulnerable, but at the same time wanted. Scared, but at the same time loved.

Cosima smiled, and when she did Delphine felt that it didn’t matter what she chose to say, but the fact that it made Cosima smile was what mattered. Both of them grabbed their hands and started to head towards the bed, laughing at the way they suddenly felt.

“So, before we think about doing something else, would you like to eat chips with me in bed and watch a cheesy romantic movie while we cuddle?” Cosima asked her earnestly.

Delphine smiled. “The perfect date.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: I Need Your Love by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding


	6. The Ghost of You

Delphine was really tired, her date with Cosima wonderful but exhausting. She had just enough time to go to her apartment and quickly change for her meeting with Aldous. She was a little worried about it, especially since she found out that her mark was in a relationship with the sister of her lover. Nevertheless, she smiled when she realized that she called Cosima 'lover'. For her, it felt like more than that and she hoped that Cosima felt the same way. She was never insecure of herself, but now with Cosima she was usually doubting how to react and how the other felt. She assumed that it was because before she only worried about herself, waking up every morning with her revenge as her only thought. But ever since she met Cosima things changed, now she woke up with her face on her mind and her name on her lips.

* * *

 

_“Dr. Cormier, you keep distracting me.” She told her while smiling and brushing her nose with hers. Delphine just hummed._

_“Should I stop?”_

_“No, but I also want answers.” Cosima told her happily. “So I have thought of a way to do both things.” Of course she did. “I will try to guess stuff about you. If I’m right you will stay here with me, if I’m wrong you will start to put your clothes on._

_“That sounds more than fair.” Delphine told her, not really wanting for Cosima to be wrong._

_“Ok. Let me think.” Cosima said while concentrating and going around the room, her hands moving excitedly. Delphine just laughed, taking the opportunity to notice how Cosima was so sensual in her way of being: How she felt so secure in her own skin and not worried about what people could think of her. She wished she could be like that, free to be who she wanted and do what she wanted. Nevertheless, the path that she chose many years ago did not let her, and probably would never let her be free._

_“You don’t like that man that was with you, Aldous.” Cosima said. This caught Delphine by surprise, but she smiled at Cosima._

_“You don’t a miss a thing, do you?” she said, trying to think of a way to define her relationship with Aldous. “Aldous is a very old friend of my family, I don’t really like him, but he is the closest thing that I have to a family member, ma Cherie. One does not choose family.”_

_“That day it seemed as if he saw you as more than a family friend.” Cosima said angrily. Again, Delphine nodded, knowing better than to lie to Cosima._

_“Aldous is a very eccentric and special man, Cosima. Brilliant, but also full of secrets and lies. He is very well known in the scientific world actually, Aldous Leekie.”_

_Cosima just huffed. “More like creepy Leekie.”_

_Delphine laughed and went forward to kiss lightly Cosima on the lips. “You are so cute when you get jealous.”_

* * *

 

 

Delphine started to get dressed, Aldous already telling her the place where they were going to meet. She was not comfortable with what she found out about the mark, and how close he was to Cosima and her family. She had this need to protect Cosima of everything, and now she was afraid that her life would catch up with her and harm possibly the only person that she cared about. She could still remember every moment spent with Cosima as if she were living it again.

_Cosima pretended to be shocked but then she smiled. “Also, you don't trust easily because someone lied to you in the past, like a very big lie.”_

_Delphine smiled sadly. People did lie to her, but that was now her life, and it was true that she didn’t trust people so easily, but mostly because of what happened to her parents. She put on her panties._

_“Almost ma petite chiot.”_

_“Mmmm, you are not very close to your family, being that the reason you came to London.”_

_Delphine saw how Cosima was waiting for her to answer. This was the moment of truth. She could either tell Cosima one true thing about her and risk the whole mission, or keep pretending that there was nothing wrong with her. She put on her bra._

_“My whole family died when I was 19 years old. Apparently there was a malfunction in one of the air conditioning system in one of the buildings where they worked and in response a big fire occurred. Because the building was isolated, it took the firefighters too long to get there, and once they arrived it was too late. There were no survivors.”_

_Delphine could see how Cosima was looking at her, a mix of sadness in her eyes and way of being, like if she deeply understood her pain. She had never told anyone about her family, usually saying that they were in Canada and understood the sacrifices that scientist had to make in order to be successful in their field of work. But now she did the opposite, and suddenly felt all alone._

_“Delphine, I was way out of line. Please forgive me.” Cosima said while approaching Delphine quietly, giving her the rest of her clothes._

_Delphine just looked at her, feeling her eyes get all watery. “That’s ok Cosima, there was no way for you to know.” She was suddenly crying non-stop. “I never talk about them Cosima, because no one asks, so I think that I have gotten used to their absence.”_

_“You do not need to apologize for feeling emotions Delphine. Or for showing them. I actually know how you feel.” She added quietly. Delphine just looked at her._

* * *

 

 

Delphine closed the door of her room, not wishing at all to go see Aldous. She wished she could just go ahead and see Cosima. It was crazy that now she was all she thought about. She had just seen her yesterday, but still she needed to feel under her hand the touch of Cosima, see her crooked smile and the way she moved her hands when she got excited or was trying to explain herself. She used to hear people say that once you meet ‘the one’ you just knew, that your whole being was only worried about being with that person because you were so attuned to one another that you stopped being two souls and became one. Their sadness become your sadness, their fears and joys also yours. Their problems yours to help solve, and the memories of your life before them just a path that led them to you.

_“You can tell me if you want to.” She added, trying to make Cosima feel less pressured._

_Cosima smiled. “If I tell you the entire story then I will probably bore you to death.”_

_“Ma Cherie, I think that is not possible.” Delphine said while smiling. Apparently she said the right thing because Cosima smiled back._

_“Well, I don’t remember where I was born. You see, I was an orphan.” She added, suddenly lowering her voice to barely a whisper. “I really don’t remember a thing; just some glimpses of a lot of children in a big house getting ready for visitation day. I think I’m lucky, most kids always remember vividly their years in the foster system. For some reason I just don’t, but then again I think that shows how weird I can be.” She said while chuckling. “I was then adopted by a young couple, my parents, and they were incredible people, like they would have loved you.”_

_Delphine couldn’t help but smile and plant a small kiss in the girl's hand when she made this remark. Only Cosima could manage to make a compliment in this kind of situation, but then again, it wouldn’t be Cosima if she didn’t do it._

_“So then I went to live with them in San Francisco, and turns out that I was quite smart, being able to graduate earlier. I always knew that I wanted to be a scientist, but not a doctor because it’s just too much pressure. Like literally I would spend all my money on pot.”_

_“For my nerves.” She added when she saw Delphine’s face of surprise._

_“I think it actually fits with your personality.” Delphine told her sweetly._

_“One day I’m gonna get you so baked.”_

_“Ok, one day.” Delphine told her._

_Cosima smiled. “Well, here is the strange part. I was applying for colleges, and for some reason there was this school that used a face recognition application to see if you already applied for a school program. Like really uptight stuff for a university to have. Anyway, you should have seen my face when the website said that I couldn’t enroll again because I had not finished my studies, and in the picture a woman who was not me. I did not tell my parents a thing and came to London to find answers. Soon enough I meet Sarah, my lost twin sister.”_

_Delphine was quiet, not quite knowing what to say. **I mean, what could she say?**_

* * *

 

Delphine went inside the restaurant, tired of meeting Aldous in this kind of places. Cosima was right, he was really strange. It had cost Delphine so much to defend him, but nevertheless she had to make it so it would not be strange to be seen with him. Aldous barely smiled when he saw her, motioning for her to sit down. For a while none said a word, both looking at each other, analyzing the best way to start the conversation. Delphine knew that something was going on, this was strange behavior from Aldous, but still, she was too proud to make him see that she noticed or cared. She decided to order her food instead.

_“So there we were, both realizing that we were related but not family, like the whole nature vs. nurture question. Alas, we did not know anything about our past, or who our parents were, but let’s just say that Sarah has her contacts and she found out that our mother decided to separate us both after birth, one going to the United States and the other staying in London. When I came back from London, I found out that my parents had died in a car accident. I really don’t know what happened during that time, going from alcohol to drugs and so on. After one very dark week, I realized that I had nothing left in the States: My whole family was gone, except for my sister who lived in London and who was willing to give us a chance to try to be a family. I didn’t even think it twice, deciding to come and live her. For one year I stopped studying, trying to find a university that had a good Evo-Devo program as the one I started studying in San Francisco, and that’s when I found out about the DYAD.” Cosima finished while quietly cleaning her tears._

_Delphine saw this and quickly faced Cosima, and unlike her, she kissed the tears out of Cosima's face, murmuring to her sweet and kind words of love. She felt Cosima loosen up, fighting to keep herself under control._

_“I am here for you, Ma cherie. You can go ahead and stop worrying about being strong because I am here to protect you.” Delphine told her, meaning every single word._

_Cosima must have realized this too, because soon enough she was crying and holding Delphine. Delphine just stayed there, speaking to her in French and hugging her tightly. After a few minutes she saw Cosima calming down, instead deciding to kiss Delphine's neck. She knew where this was going, and she wanted Cosima to keep going, but nevertheless she knew what Cosima was feeling and knew that the pain was not going to disappear. She stopped Cosima and closed her hands on her face. She could see Cosima's sadness and also a hint of insecurity from Delphine's rejection. She quickly kissed her softly on the lips._

_“You have no idea how hard it was for me to stop you ma cherie. But I know what you are feeling, and I also know that it won't go away with this.” she said while pointing at both of them._

_Cosima smiled dryly. “But it will help me forget.”_

_“It will, for a while.” Delphine answered her while kissing her hands. “Trust me on this.”_

_“I trust you Delphine, for some strange reason I do. I have never been able to give my trust this easily and that is what worries me.” Cosima said quietly. “I have never been used to sharing my feelings and emotions with others, in fact you could call me a loner.” she smiled at this remark._

_“Well, you are not a loner anymore.” Delphine told her while holding her hand. “Because you have another loner who cares deeply about you.” She added shyly._

_Cosima stayed quiet, and Delphine could feel her heart beat, suddenly scared of what it shared. **Was it too soon to be feeling like this? Too soon to share these feelings? Too much based on a lie?** Non, she thought, it wasn’t a lie. She had never felt this vulnerable, this willing to give herself away to someone. She knew that whatever Cosima told her to do she would do it, no questions asked. It was a dangerous, but also wonderful feeling. Non, she did not regret feeling all of these emotions for Cosima, nor would she ever regret it. _

_“Good, because I also care deeply about you, against all common sense, I really do.”_

* * *

 

“I’m quite worried Delphine” she heard Aldous say. They had not spoken a word to each other, both deep in thought. “I’m worried that you are forgetting our main reason for being here.”

Delphine stopped eating, and when she looked up to Aldous she saw that he knew about her relationship with Cosima.

“My personal life is none of your business Aldous, and what I do with it is of my own choosing.” She answered angrily.

“I think you do not understand me. I really don’t care with who you decide to sleep with, Delphine.” He answered back. “But I do not want the mission that we planned for 10 years be ruined by some horny teenage desires.” He added with disgust.

Delphine looked at him with surprise and anger. “Cosima is more than that, Aldous, and if you ever insult her again in front of me then I will go straight to DYAD myself and tell them all.”

“Be careful playing for the other team, Delphine.”

“I love her, and if you even think about putting a finger on her, then it will be personal.” She said while standing up and leaving the restaurant. Aldous just looked at her leave. When she was gone he took his cellphone out and dialed.

“Things have changed.” He said angrily.

“What do you mean things have changed?” he heard the angry voice. “I thought you said that you had Cormier under control.”

“I thought I did. We need to move faster and go to the next stage of the plan.”

“Miss Cormier has become a liability, and I do not like liabilities. Find her and finish her.” The voice said while hanging up.

“I will do much worse than that. I will destroy the person that she loves and cares most about in the world. I will kill Cosima Niehaus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: The Ghost of You by My Chemical Romance.


	7. Clarity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than the last two because they were shorter. I try to update everyday and I hope you like it.

Cosima was moving around her apartment. _Sarah will kill me if I lost it,_ she thought to herself. They had been waiting for years, planning and scheming behind the scenes. This was the only thing that was on their mind, and she was actually excited about closing this chapter, but then she met Delphine Cormier. She tried to to stay cool and just be friendly with her but then she got involved. She did the first thing that Sarah told her not to do. To not get involved with anyone because they were living a lie. Still, she didn't feel that it was a lie, her feelings for the Canadian woman only growing stronger. She knew that Sarah was mad at her; she could see it in the way she looked at her, although it was quite true that her encounters with Delphine were very strange. Still, she went online and checked for her credentials and indeed Delphine was in the website of the DYAD institute.

“But you are also on the website of the DYAD.” Sarah just told her.

“Yes, but not all people have an international hacker as a boyfriend.” Cosima told her while rolling her eyes.

“Cheeky.” she said while hitting Cosima softly on the shoulder. “You know I only tell you this because we have been waiting for this opportunity for too long Cos. And also because you are my sister and I hate to see you heartbroken.”

“That was a long time ago Sarah. And admit that you just don't like Delphine.”

“Yes, I don't like her because I just have this weird feeling about her, as if she is not being completely honest with us. Her eyes contract slightly, almost unnoticeable, when she talks about her life and her relationship with Leekie.”

Cosima had updated Sarah on the role of this man, Aldous Leekie, and indeed he was very important in the scientific community. With some help from Cal they found out that Leekie was involved in well-kept experiments sponsored by the DYAD institute. Too much of a coincidence, they digged further and found out that he was the invisible CEO of one of the companies that was in charge of the development of cloning cells.

“Maybe Delphine does not know that Leekie is working for the DYAD.” Cosima murmured when they found this. “I mean, we did not know that our parents were involved with the DYAD until now.”

Sarah just huffed, but decided to keep her thoughts about Delphine to herself, knowing that if she kept going she would get Cosima upset. “Perhaps, but that does not mean that Leekie is not using her for his purposes.”

Cosima just stayed quiet, not knowing how to answer to her sister remarks because her brain was telling her that Sarah had foundations for her suspicions.

“But,” Sarah added while touching Cosima slightly. “Her eyes do not flinch at all when she is talking to you.”

Cosima smiled, thanking Sarah for her last remark and hugged her. “You are the best sister that a non-knowing sister could have asked for.”

“Ditto, obvs.” Sarah answered her sweetly, her comment sounding strange with her British accent.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Suddenly growing tense, Sarah moved forward, taking the gun that she always carried with her out of her belt. Nodding for Cosima to go forward and open the door, she did as Sarah said and signed with relief when she saw that it was just Cal.

“You scared the bloody shite out of us.” she said while putting her gun away.

“I'm sorry but there has been a development.” he said while sitting on the couch. “Both women looked at each other and went straight to where Cal was. He took out his laptop and soon all of them were staring at a black screen.

“Ehh, I don't see anything.” Cosima said boringly.

“Wait a second.” he said while typing.

_'Can you confirm status of Project Leda?'_

The three of them were staring at the computer, waiting anxiously for an answer. Sarah started to move but then they saw that a window opened with a response.

_'Project Leda was a go 20 years ago. Status was successful.'_

Cosima and Sarah looked at each other, not knowing what the conversation was about. Cal just started to type again.

_'Confirm update on Project Leda.'_

_'Eliminate all traces of project, disappear evidence and witnesses. Termination imminent.'_

Cal stopped writing for a while, re-reading everything again.

_´Name of whistleblower. Request possible contact. Place and time.'_

“Cal, I do not understand anything.” Cosima said while looking at Sarah, her sister's expression possibly matching her own.

Cal looked up from the monitor and smiled sadly at them. Sarah noticed the sudden change and came closer to him. “Just tell us what the fuck is going on Cal.”

Cal was going to answer but then the computer lighted up, notifying of an answer.

_'Angela DeAngelis, Club Prolethean, 11:00pm.'_

Cal sighted, shutting off the computer and then going towards the kitchen. Cosima saw that he came back with a bottle of wine along with three glasses. He poured the red liquid generously and gave each one a glass.

“Project Leda.” he started to say. “Was a project funded by DYAD in which they were experimenting with cloning designs. The three main doctors were Henri Beraud, Emile Beraud and the third one a complete mystery. The only reason we know those two names is because both died during a fire in one of the companies.”

Cosima was holding her breath, suddenly remembering that this story sounded way too familiar.

_“My whole family died when I was 19 years old. Apparently there was a malfunction in one of the air conditioning systems in one of the buildings where they worked and in response a big fire occurred. It took the firefighters too long to get there, and once they arrived it was too late. There were no survivors.”_

“It was no accident, right?” She heard Sarah ask.

“No, it was all planned because the scientists saw that the project was too dangerous and they decided to expose it.”

Cosima shivered, but also felt relieved. Delphine's parent had died because they were trying to fix what they did. She was still speechless, and Sarah noticed this.

“What are you thinking Cos?”

“I'm thinking that Cal is going somewhere with this story about DYAD and how we are involved with it. Am I right?” she said, trying to shift everyone's attention to Cal.

He nodded. “You see, Project Leda was about creating female clones that were unaware of who they were and see how they developed in different environments. When I was creating you a new identity for the DYAD personnel Sarah, I saw something strange. I disregarded it because I assumed that it was one of your fake identities, but now I realize that it was something completely different.” Cal took out a paper from his pocket and gave it to Sarah, who opened it quickly and exhaled as soon as she saw it. Shaking, she gave it to Cosima and Cosima instantly took her glass of wine and gave it a big sip. In the page there was the driver's license of a woman who looked exactly like them, but with a different name, address and even smile.

“How can this be even possible?” Sarah exclaimed while reading out loud. “Beth Childs, 29 years old, London, England.”

“I don't know Sarah how they did it, but I'm certain that Cosima and you are part of Project Leda.”

A cold shiver ran through Cosima's back. “And they are terminating it. They are killing us.”

“And why the fuck would they do that now?” Sarah screamed, running to get her phone. “Fee, something is up, go get Kira and go to Mrs. S. Also, if Helena shows up tell her to come meet us.”

Helena was also their sister who they met a couple of months ago, and during that time it was plausible that they were triplets. But now they had to realize that they were not even human, merely an experiment that was successful and that cost the life of three scientists who wanted to make things right, two of them being Delphine's parents. Cosima gulped.

“If I was a scientist, and suddenly my subjects would become self-aware I would do two things. I would either scream Eureka, or...”

“Or what?” Sarah asked.

“Or I would terminate the experiment.” she said quietly, not wanting to upset her sister more.

Sarah stayed quiet for a few minutes, thinking.

“We can assume that they do not know that we are aware of our origin, right?” Sarah asked Cal.

“No, I would have noticed DYAD moving amounts of money or strange correspondence going through. I have been monitoring them since you told me.”

Sarah nodded. “And how trustworthy is that source of yours.”

“Very, Sarah. He still has not given me any kind of wrong intel.”

Sarah nodded again and then looked at Cosima, her gaze softening.

“We need to meet this DeAngelis woman” She said while approaching Cosima. “We need to find out what she knows about Project Leda and her involvement. And you know me; I will go all rough and scare her off. This time, although it pains me to admit it, we need the Cosima approach.” she smirked and laughed.

Cosima did the same thing, moving around the house and getting a purple dress and some black leggings.

“You know, it is so nice when you tell me that I'm right.” Cosima said while going to the bathroom.

* * *

 

Delphine was moving around the dance floor effortlessly, for a while listening to the music and just going along with it. After her discussion with Aldous, Delphine was angry and scared. He was a very dangerous man, and she knew that he was serious about his threat. It was foolish to rebel against him, but she knew that she was going to lose it as soon as she heard how he talked about Cosima. After that she kept texting Cosima, trying to be subtle in her questions and not too pushy to make her worry. She was at peace because Cosima told her that she was staying at home with Kira and Felix because Sarah was going out with her boyfriend Cal. At least she did not have to worry about that. She had managed to go back to her hotel, assuming that Leekie would not try to make anyone suspicious and would keep her cover intact. The only good thing that came from being with him for the last 10 years was that she now knew how he thought, and this worked to her advantage. She still had to find Donnie Hendrix, so when she saw an announcement of a party sponsored by DYAD in the Club Prolethean she knew that she had to go. She got her smallest and tightest dress out of her closet, and when she saw that she was good she went to the lobby to get a taxi. She could sense men and women looking at her and this made her smirk. _People were so predictable._

She saw a man looking at her, and deciding that this would give her an opportunity to scan the room better she signaled him to come. He did, and soon enough both of them were on the dance floor, Delphine not even caring about talking. The man started to move his hands around her body, and to Delphine this felt all wrong. They were too rough and big, not caring and full of savagery. Before she would not even notice these things, actually, she liked those stuff, but now she was craving a softer and more loving touch; she was craving…

Cosimaaa. Delphine thought as she saw the petite woman sitting on the bar, laughing and talking with someone that she could not see. Delphine made the man move around the dance floor, positioning herself better so she could see the other person. When she did, she saw that it was another woman, tall and brunette. Both were drinking, and she could notice how the woman had her hand on Cosima’s leg, and there it stayed moving up and down. The worst part was that Cosima let it stay there, and soon enough the woman came closer and softly kissed her on the lips. Delphine suddenly stopped moving, the man noticing and asking her if she was ok. She did not answer and instead saw herself separating from the man and heading towards the bar, all logic and reasoning out of her mind. She just wanted to go there and hit the woman and then scream at Cosima and cry after that. _Bad idea, better to just leave and pretend this didn’t happen,_ she heard her brain reasoning. Still, she was heading that way, possibly destroying her cover, but not really caring because the woman was again approaching Cosima.

“Delphineee.” She heard Cosima say as soon as she saw her, surprise and shock on her face. She immediately tried to separate herself from the woman, but she did not let go.

“Bonjour Cosima.” She answered coldly, not sure of what was happening. “I thought you were staying at home with Kira and Felix.”

“Excuse me, can’t you see that we are in the middle of something.” The woman said annoyingly.

Delphine just stared at her, hate in her eyes. “Pardon, I will not interrupt you anymore.” She was containing herself, her anger too much to bear. She left the club through the back door, knowing better than to cause a commotion through the front. She was breathing, unable to hide her frustration. She was so hurt, disappointed and angry, but the worst thing is that it was not at Cosima, but at herself, for falling in love with a person that did not feel the same way.

“Delphine, please wait.” She heard Cosima scream at her while running.

Delphine ignored her and kept walking towards the main street. She was soon stopped by Cosima. _She was really fast._

“Pleaaaase, let me explain.”

“There is nothing to explain Cosima.” She mumbled while separating herself.

“You do not understand Delphine, I don't care about her at all. It’s just that I…” she stopped, thinking about what to say.

Delphine just kept walking. “I saw you together, I saw you kissing her and not stopping her Cosima. Je suis une stupide.” 

“No, you are not. You got it all wrong. You are all I think about Delphine, all I want and all I need.” Cosima said while approaching Delphine, her eyes black as the night. “It was all wrong, I just couldn't stop thinking about you, about your lips, your eyes, your body.” She whispered while pushing Delphine against the wall.

Delphine was at a loss for words, her desire burning, but also the desperation of not knowing what happened killing her. She started to move away, but Cosima held her right there, deciding to push her tight against her. Delphine whimpered, and instantly moved her hips forward.

“Non Cosima.” She said softly while kissing Cosima’s lips. “Stop.”

“Do you really want me to stop?” she said while biting her lips and then putting her hands on her breasts.

“No.” she moaned while putting her head between Cosima’s chest, crying uncontrollably. Cosima stopped.

“Don't cry, please. I am so so sorry Delphine. I love you so much, and I know I messed up, but it’s not what you think…” Cosima stopped talking because Delphine raised her head and went to kiss her uncontrollably. Cosima moaned.

“Say it.” Delphine whispered. “Say it again.”

“I love you Delphine.” Cosima yelled as she felt the woman pull her leggings down.” _In the middle of an alley out of a nightclub._ “And I need you, so much, all the time.”

Delphine did not need to listen anymore, her fingers taking down Cosima’s panties and pushing deep inside, need filling her strokes with strength. She felt Cosima moving down desperately.

“Je ‘t aime, je’t aime, je’t aime.” Was whispering Delphine as she kept moving her fingers until Cosima made one last scream. They stood in the middle of the alley, kissing each other desperately and without a care. Cosima broke away, and that’s when Delphine felt her cleaning her tears.

“I do not know what happened to me Cosima, I’m not like this at all. But I was so angry, and heartbroken. I just can't be without you anymore.” She admitted sadly. _She said it first, the words that tied her to Cosima forever._

Delphine felt her face being lifted up by Cosima, who was looking at her with love. “I love you with all my soul, Delphine. And I will do everything to protect you.”

Delphine looked straight into Cosima’s eyes, the truth of her words visible. She hugged Cosima tightly and just then she remembered everything that led to this situation: The lies of her life.

“I need to tell you the truth, Cosima. About everything, because I'm not who you think I am.”

Cosima just looked straight, and smiled her crooked grin. “I’m way ahead of you, Delphine Beraud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Clarity by Zedd ft. Foxes (I recommend the Zedd Union Mix).


	8. Tout Les Memes

Cosima thought that she had seen and heard it all after finding out that she was a clone. The revelation more of a surprise and scientific desire overshadowed the fact that she was not completely human, but merely a design created by the parents of her girlfriend who was now sitting in the couch of their living room without saying a word.

_Before she saw Delphine, Cosima had approached Angela DeAngelis and started to ask her for information. The woman did not know that what she was saying was actually important, merely mentioning that she was a policewoman that had recently lost a friend, Beth Childs. What interested Cosima was that they found their investigation being taken over by MI5 and soon enough it was deemed as a cold case. Then, the woman noticed that Cosima looked a little bit like Beth, and in order to distract her Cosima did what she assumed was best and started flirting. Now, she was with Delphine after both of them had confessed their love to each other and who they were._

_“How do you know that?” Delphine told her while looking around, suddenly scared. Cosima was going to answer but she told her to stay quiet. “We are not safe here, Cosima. We need to leave._

_That was the moment when Cosima decided to take Delphine to their secret hideout, and just as she was coming in she saw Sarah talking with Felix._

_“Oi Cosim…” she started to say until she noticed Delphine behind her. “What the fuck is she doing here?” She said while getting her gun out._

_She really does not remember how, but one moment Delphine was behind her and the next she had Sarah’s gun in her hand, dismantling it and finally throwing it to the ground. Sarah just stared with her eyes wide open._

_“Well now I see it.” She heard Felix murmur. This made Cosima smile._

_“That was so hot.” She whispered to Delphine while holding her hand. She could see that Delphine relaxed and smiled softly at her. Sarah just stared and went to the couch._

_“We have a lot of talking to do apparently.” She said as she sat down. “Might as well get comfortable.”_

“So my parents were killed because they helped the DYAD to create you?” Delphine asked softly. Cosima could see how much she was trying to refrain from crying. She held her hand and kissed it softly, this bringing a small smile to her face.

“Yes, but they wanted to make things right Delphine, they died protecting you and even me.” She said while looking at Sarah, who was deep in thought.

“So let me get this straight, Leekie told you that the DYAD was responsible for the death of your parents, but then we find that Leekie works for the DYAD. Why would he want to endanger the corporation that employs him?” Sarah asked desperately.

“Leekie is a very sneaky man, that’s why he was able to do what he wanted most of the time. He is well connected and so very dangerous.” Delphine added, a hint of fear in her eyes. “If he is planning something then we need to be extremely careful.”

“I still don’t understand what was your role in that partnership.” Sarah said. “No offense.”

“None taken. You see, I was the tool, I was the face of the operation and Leekie was the brains. But now that I think about it, there was something strange about our last mission. He was really worried about finding Donnie Hendrix.”

“The Doctor from the DYAD party?” Cosima asked. Delphine nodded.

“Wait, you said Hendrix, right?” Cosima said again, suddenly remembering something that DeAngelis mentioned in the bar.

_‘Yeah, but really weird was that Beth was all secretive during her last days. From what I heard, she just kept talking to this woman named Alison Hendrix and telling her to remain calm and hidden. From Beth’s face, it seemed serious enough.’_

“Donnie Hendrix is related to Alison Hendrix.” She said.

“Oi, what?” Sarah said while standing up. “Are you telling me that Delphine’s mark is related to our mark?”

“Mon Dieu.” Delphine said while looking at Cosima, all realizing what this meant.

“Guess this means teamwork time.” Cosima smiled.

* * *

The plan was all clear. The key to solving this dilemma was to either find Donnie or Alison Hendrix. Delphine had no tools now that she had officially left Leekie’s side, which made her feel useless. Nevertheless, she was so surprised to see Cosima doing spying work. It actually made her love Cosima even more, _as if that was even possible._ It was so nice to finally have no secrets, to have someone know all about her and still be with her. She could see that Cosima was also relieved, especially after telling her that she was a clone. She had waited until everyone went to their rooms, and as soon as she did she had grabbed Delphine’s hand.

"There is something else Delphine." She said while looking at Delphine. She could see fear in her eyes.

"Mon amour, do not be scared, I promise you I will protect you from everything." She said, assuming that she was scared.

Cosima smiled. "Yeah, you are pretty badass." She said while laughing. Delphine laughed with her. "Then what has you so worried?"

"That you may stop loving me after you hear what I have to tell you." She murmured more to herself, but still loud enough so that Delphine could hear.

"After all we have found out, you think I would be able to stop loving you? Cest pas impossible."

Cosima smiled softly. "Delphine, I’m the result of your parents experiment, a clone. I'm not even sure of what I am anymore." She whispered.

Delphine just looked at her. She realized what this meant, but still, it was her Cosima. There could only be one Cosima in the world, wonderful and loving Cosima, and she was all hers.

"There is only one person that I love, and no matter how this person came to be, she is still very real to me. I can touch her." She said while holding her hand. "I can smell her, kiss her." Delphine kept saying while doing all of these things to Cosima. "There is only one Cosima and I never want to let her go."

* * *

Leekie was eating at his favorite restaurant, not really caring about the company of the young woman that was sitting in front of him. He only had to say his name and there would be a woman interested in sharing his company _or money._ Still, it was better than sitting alone, and this gave him time to think on how events had unfold. Delphine had left him, choosing to go against him fully aware of what he was capable. Nevertheless, Delphine knew how he thought and worked, which made him double think before starting his next move. He was taken out of his thoughts when he heard his phone.

“Yes?” he answered quietly, nodding the woman to leave him alone.

“Is the Cormier issue solved?”

“Not yet, but do not worry about it.”

“I thought I said that I did not like liabilities. Is it necessary for me to go to London and fix things myself?” the voice said angrily.

“No, I said I would fix it and I will.” He answered back. “Give me 24 more hours.”

“In 24 hours I will see a bullet through someone’s head, it can either be Miss Cormier’s or your own.” The voice threatened while hanging up.

Leekie looked up, and nodded the woman to come back. She did, and soon enough he was signing the check.

“What do you think about taking this conversation somewhere else Miss Duncan?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Tout les Memes by Stromae.


	9. The Scientist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait for this chapter, I try to write and upload daily. Made this one a little bit longer, and if you have any suggestions feel free to write them. Hope you like it :)

Cosima was too excited for their new mission, although the motivations for it were of the most macabre. Sarah thought this too, looking at her silently while she talked with Cal about gadgets and security. Delphine was also looking at her, smiling at her when she saw her looking but then getting all serious and moving around the apartment with nothing to do. She knew that Delphine was feeling useless to the team, her resources being taken away as soon as she rebelled. Nevertheless, Cosima was happy because that meant that Delphine had chosen a side, _her side._ She went to stand right next to her and pulled her close, trying to show her how she felt. Delphine smiled, appreciating the gesture and returning it.

“Tout tres bien?” she asked her quietly enough so that only she could hear.

Cosima just held her tighter.

“You are getting me worried.” She whispered desperately.

“It’s just that I was thinking, and I never got to tell you what all of this means to me.”

“I am not sure I understand where you are going with this.” Delphine told her confused.

“What you gave up in order to help us.” Cosima told her quietly. “I know what it cost you, and the doubts that you may have about your decision, but still…”

Cosima was stopped by Delphine, who brushed her lips lightly against hers. “Listen to me, I do not regret anything. I was unhappy with Aldous, Cosima. I never felt safe, never felt protected, always kept in the dark about his real motivations and goals. He told me that it was all for my parents, but now I think that he used them to get me to do his will.”

Cosima just looked at Delphine, waiting for her to finish what she had to say.

“Meeting you was like seeing the sun again. It made me feel alive and wanted. I suddenly found myself longing for your company, for your friendship, for your touch, for your love. And I knew that I had no right to have these feelings for you, because I had not been completely honest, and I hated myself for that. I tried to keep my distance and stay professional, tried to convince Aldous that you were just a part of my cover, but as I was saying it to him I knew that it was a lie.”

Cosima did not expect Delphine to share all of this, yet she welcomed it. She had been used to see Delphine as an impenetrable shield that could take every hit and remain strong. Of course she knew that there was going to be a moment where it would crack, but it was still surprising for her to see that she made it crack, and this made her confirm that she loved Delphine with all her heart.

“I used to be a very good spy before I met you Cosima Niehaus.” Delphine said while laughing.” I carried out my mission, reported to Aldous and then waited for the next one to come. Now, after meeting you, I failed to find my mark, rebelled against my boss, compromised my cover at the Club Prolethean and fell in love with another spy.”

“That’s oddly romantic.” Cosima said while laughing. “Totally against the rules of How to be a Spy 1001.”

Delphine laughed with her, but then got all serious. “You have given me something that I thought died with my parents. You gave me love.”

It Cosima could have smiled more she would have, feeling butterflies in her stomach. If Delphine could have been even cuter than what she already was, then she accomplished it with that last statement. Cosima stepped on the tip of her toes and went to kiss Delphine. She felt the blonde woman kissing her back, and for a while she forgot that they were not alone in the apartment.

"I love you, Delphine Beraud." She said while kissing Delphine harder, hearing a small moan come from her own throat. 

“Oi you two, would you cut it out.” She heard Sarah say from afar. “We are actually planning a direct infiltration on the DYAD institute, so I encourage you both to stop fooling around and hear what Cal has to say.”

Cosima laughed, but she could see that Delphine was embarrassed, blushing slightly.

“Don’t be such a pussy Sarah, you gotta feel the love.” Cosima told her sister heartedly.

Sarah smiled despite herself, _and she hated herself for doing it._ “This is serious shite Cos, and we have to assume that they will be waiting for us.”

“Sarah is right ma Cherie. I always thought that Aldous had a contact inside of the DYAD that facilitated the identifications that I used for my missions. Reality must have been that he was the one with the access.” Delphine hissed.

“Well, luckily for us we have a real hacker.” Sarah said while nodding at Cal. “Tell them what you were telling me.”

“The DYAD will host an event tonight. It is supposed to be this very big party for one of their main brands of research, Neolution.

Cosima and Delphine both huffed out loud. Sarah looked at both. “You know what that is?”

“Yeah, it’s like a totally fringe science. Supposedly a new path of voluntary evolution for humans.” Cosima said while moving around the room.

“What is she talking about?” they heard Felix say when he entered the apartment. “Not that I was spying or anything.” He added guilty.

“She is just weird.” Sarah answered him. Cosima just kept moving around.

“What Cosima means is that for example, if you take her, you see that she uses glasses. She has two options, either keep using the glasses or get surgery. The decision is on her, and if she decides the latter, then she is upgrading herself.” Delphine told them softly.

“And I still don’t understand what that has to do with neolution.” Sarah said, more confused than before.  

“Scientists argue that the choice of upgrading yourself is a voluntary evolution that you go through, that will make you perform better in your environment and be a specie that has more probability of surviving than the others who have not upgraded themselves.” Delphine continued saying absently.

Cosima was looking at her with awe, realizing that she had never seen Delphine in full science mode. She realized that she liked it a lot.

“Dr. Cormier, I just realized that this is the first time I hear you dorking out.” She told her while going to her side and grabbing her hand. “I like it.” She added.

“Ok, ok, so then they found a cooler term for getting surgeries.” Sarah said annoyingly.

“Yes, but then, for a neolutionist, cloning would be a new step in the chain of evolution.” Cosima said out loud.

“Oui.” Delphine answered her. “Mon Dieu, why did I not think of that before?”

“Oi, you two nerds, what the hell are you talking there?” Felix asked them while sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in his hand.

“That the party that DYAD is organizing today may have the presence of people fully aware of Project Leda.”

“But I thought you said that Neolution was a fringe science followed by freaky people.” Felix said bored.

“Yes, but that may be a façade, like an iceberg where you can only see the superficial aspect of the science, but then the bottom is the actual science being created and researched.” Delphine said.

“So then the neolutionist are the ones responsible for Project Leda?” Cal asked.

“It’s a possibility. I mean, clearly DYAD sponsors in some way the neolutionist. Perhaps DYAD invested in the project in exchange for the intellectual rights.” Cosima said cautiously.

“But then everything backtracked when Delphine’s parents decided to make it public knowledge.” Sarah said while looking at Delphine kindly. “This now became even more important. We may even find bigger answers than the ones we were looking for.”

“So then what do we do?” Cosima asked her worried. “The two of us will not be able to cover the place and acquire all the targets with, how much time do we have Cal?”

“45 minutes exactly where the cameras will be turned off. I will install a virus in their system that will make them believe that their system is functioning correctly. What it will really do is eliminate all kinds of alerts.” Cal answered while moving around the room to face all of them. “Which means that doors, coded key locks and face recognition software will be deactivated from actually confirming if you work for DYAD. After those 45 minutes, the virus will be noticed by their antivirus, by that time you would need to be already outside.”

* * *

 

Delphine saw how Sarah was trying to analyze their situation objectively. She understood that it was too big of an opportunity to ignore the fact that they could get more answers about Project Leda and its repercussions. Even she wanted to know more, maybe see some documentation about her parents and their role in the project. But then again, Cosima was right, the two of them would not be able to cover that much territory on such a short amount of time. It was not worth the risk, and she could see that Sarah realized this too.

“Let me think about our options for a while, ok?” Sarah said while moving to the bedroom.

Cosima was starting to move towards her and when she grabbed her hand she saw Sarah coming towards their way, looking at her intensely.

“Cos, before you go to do your stuff.” She said absently. “I need to ask Delphine some questions.”

Delphine looked at Cosima, an unspeakable question of what to do in her eyes. She saw that Cosima was also surprised by Sarah’s request, but then she nodded Delphine to follow her sister into the room. Delphine hated to admit it, but she was a little scared of Sarah, and she knew that she still did not have her approval.

“I need to ask you two things.” She heard Sarah say.

She immediately looked at her, nodding her to continue.

“Do you love Cosima?” she simply asked her.

Delphine was surprised by the question, expecting it to be about Leekie or even question her loyalties again.

“With all my heart.” She answered simply. _Because it was that simple._

Sarah just looked straight, and nodded slightly. “What do you want with her?”

“I don’t understand the question.” Delphine told her perplexed.

“What I mean is, what you plan to achieve with Cosima? I was surprised when you stayed after she told you that she was a clone.”

“I don’t know what I want.” Delphine told her honestly. “I just know that I want to be with her all the time, and that when I’m not things just don’t feel right. I want to protect her, to help her find the truth and get peace. I want her to be happy, even if in the future, for some reason, I’m not part of that happiness.” She finished quietly.

Sarah just looked at her, and then exhaled. “Shite, you really fell hard.” She smiled softly. “But then, I think that’s just Cosima’s effect on people.”

Delphine smiled softly, and nodded again.

“And don’t worry about her getting bored of you. I have never seen my sister be this in love with someone before, not even with Rachel.”

“Rachel?” Delphine asked her surprised.

“Yes, Rachel Duncan.” Sarah told her surprised. “She was Cosima’s first girlfriend, and the reason why she was so eager to leave the United States after her parents died.”

“She never even mentioned the name.” Delphine said sadly, not understanding Cosima’s secrecy.

“Don’t feel bad about it Delphine. Rachel was a very evil woman who wanted to use Cosima for her own goals, and it was very hard to make Cosima notice that. My sister has a very big and forgiving heart, and that is why people love her. But that big heart also can cause her much pain when given to the wrong person.” Sarah told Delphine while putting her hand on her shoulder. “If she hasn’t told you yet about her it’s because of all of this shite that we got ourselves into.”

Delphine just nodded absently, trying to convince herself that what Sarah was saying was true, but she still had doubts, and Sarah saw them too.

“Has she told you ‘I love you’?” she heard Sarah ask her.

Delphine nodded. “Oui, twice I think. Once when I saw her with DeAngelis, and the other before Felix got here.”

Sarah nodded while smiling. “Cosima once told me that she hated to use the expression ‘I love you’ because the meaning of the word had been lost with all the commercialization that Americans made. She said that it was a ‘way to fall into the trap of buying gifts and presents to both friends and lovers’. Since that, she has reserved the word, and you probably have heard her say ‘ditto, obvs’.”

Delphine nodded again, seeing where Sarah was going with all of this. She smiled.

“Cosima is an amazing human being, and if she trusts you enough with her love, then I will also trust you.” Sarah said while placing an ear communicator on her hand. “Tomorrow, if you choose to, you will come with us to the DYAD party to find the truth about everything.”

Delphine was speechless, but also determined. She was going to do this. For her parents. For Cosima. For herself, and for her new-found family.

Sarah smiled when she took the communicator and put in on her ear, and just then she heard the voice of Cal on her ear talking with Cosima about Eskimo Pies. She laughed.

“Is this what you have to hear all the time?”

Sarah looked at her and laughed. “Finally someone who gets what I mean.”

They were interrupted when Cosima came inside the room, smiling broadly.

“You only say that because you haven’t tried them, ma Cherie.” She said with an awful accent.

“Jeez Cos, you just butchered French with that accent.” Sarah told her while laughing.

Delphine laughed softly, and then she felt Cosima kissing her lips softly.

“Prepare yourself, because soon you will become a craving addict.”

Delphine knew that she was talking about the pies, _she had no idea of what it was,_ but looking at Cosima she just smiled.

“I think I already am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: The Writer by Ellie Goulding


	10. Bad Girls

Aldous Leekie was moving around the room, a sign of nervousness that he barely showed. The DYAD party was not a good idea, and he knew that Delphine was going to try to infiltrate it, probably with the clones. He did not like that at all, and trying to use his position in the DYAD board of directors attempted to cancel it.  _The origins of Project Leda were at stake._ He had already done the unthinkable for this project, many years ago, and while at first he felt remorse for his actions, he saw his future in the company grow. Soon that remorse became greed, and after that it became wickedness. Aldous Leekie was going to do whatever it took to keep Project Leda a secret, he had invested his whole scientific life on it and while he lived he was not going to see it fall down, not then when a couple of Canadian doctors felt inclined to spill the beans and not now when he had two self-aware clones being helped by the daughter of those doctors. He had a plan, and he knew Delphine's weakness as soon as he saw her face transform when he insulted the clone. She had become too emotionally attached, and had failed to hide her feelings. After Delphine left that night, he went to the DYAD database and searched for Cosima's files. Soon enough he found out that she had been monitored before her self-awareness, and that the woman that did this was Rachel Duncan. He found out from her that Cosima had fallen in love with her, and that the only way in which she could remain as her monitor and not be suspicious was if she developed the relationship. After that, Duncan told him that Cosima became distant, which only grew after her parents death and her discovery of her origins. Soon enough she was on a plane to London where she went to live with her sister and her foster brother.

“So why am I really here, Dr. Leekie?” Rachel asked him after they went to his apartment.

“You are here because I have a proposition for you.” he said while taking some files out of his suitcase. Rachel looked at them and nodded slowly.

“What will they cost me?”

“I want you to go and get rid of Cosima Niehaus.” he said softly.

Rachel just nodded, Aldous not seeing any reaction from her.

“And I mean permanently.” he added.

“Consider it done.” she answered him after a while. “Next time we meet I expect you to hand me those papers."

"And I expect you to hand me a confirmation of Miss Niehaus demise."

Rachel nodded again and left the apartment soon after. Aldous was left all by himself.  _I already did it once with the Beraud's and I will certainly do it again._

* * *

"Why do I always have to be personnel?" Sarah complained while getting her gun and communicator out of her bag.

Cosima just laughed. "Because it is a doctors party, where we are supposed to be doctors. I think that Delphine and I are more capable of playing the role." she added while looking at Delphine.

Delphine just stayed quiet, knowing better than to say anything against Sarah.

"Show off." Sarah murmured angrily. Her face changed to one of joy when Cal and Kira came to meet her.

"Hi mommy." they heard Kira say excitedly. "Hello auntie Cosima." she added while looking at Cosima. When she saw Delphine she smiled brightly and said hi. Delphine returned it while smiling warmly.

"Hello monkey." Sarah answered her while giving her a kiss. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Daddy told me that I could come with him to see you." she said while looking at Cal. He smiled warmly.

"Yes I did." he answered shortly. He nodded hi to Cosima and Delphine, who decided to go to the other room to give the family some privacy.

"How are you feeling?" Cosima asked Delphine suddenly.

"Tres bien ma cherie. And you?"

"I'm nervous." She answered her honestly. "So many things could go wrong."

Delphine just nodded and went to sit right next to Cosima.

"No matter what happens, I will always protect you Cosima." she said seriously, almost fiercely.

"It's not my safety I'm worried about."

"Nothing will happen to Sarah. I know that she is more than capable to kick those people's ass.

Cosima looked straight at her, and Delphine thought that she saw her lip tremble. "Would saying that I wasn't thinking about Sarah make me a bad sister?"

Delphine just looked straight, realizing what Cosima meant.

"Ohh."

"If something ever happened to you..." she started to say but was stopped by Delphine.

"And nothing will, ma cherie. Not while we have each other as back-up." Delphine said sweetly. She saw Cosima smile at her.

"Well then let's go crash a party." Cosima said excited.

* * *

Cosima was walking around the DYAD careful enough to not raise any attention. She felt herself flow easily with the crowd, possibly enjoying the party if she wasn't undercover. She always liked this part of being a self-proclaimed spy.  _Sarah said that it was more like being a grifter, but to Cosima that didn't sound as fun as being a spy._ Talking about Sarah, she looked to the left where the personnel were and she managed to catch a quick glimpse of Sarah pouring a drink. She knew how pissed Sarah got when she had to be a server, but they all knew that Cosima was the best one for undercover. That was, until she met Delphine Cormier of course. She had managed to make Cosima want something else than being a spy, to have something else to think off than their quest for truth. She never told Delphine, but when she her and Kira talking, she could imagine having the type of life that would allow them to have more. Children maybe, but then she didn't want to freak out Delphine with those crazy propositions. Cosima knew that what her heart desired was a family. Sure, she had Sarah, Felix, Kira and even Cal, but she never felt it as her family. She didn't want to be a plus one on another family, she wanted to have her family, and as crazy as it sounded, she could clearly see Delphine with her.  _If only Delphine could have read her thoughts that day,_ she was sure she would have been scared out of her guts. Concentrating again on the mission, Cosima started to look for Delphine among the crowd, and soon enough she found her talking with a group of people, her wearing a tight white with black stripes dress,  _and looking amazing in it._ She cleared her throat.

'I can't see freaky Leekie here.' she said to herself, knowing that Sarah and Delphine could hear her.

'Still, we need to be careful and not cross each other.' Sarah said. 'People would notice two girls that look exactly the same pretty soon.'

'Ditto obvs.' she said while looking again at Delphine. She couldn't answer back because she was the center of attention of that group.

'As soon as I give Cal the signal he will send the virus to the system, but until we find a person that can lead us to the labs we can't do that.' Sarah said frustrated.

'So, Dr. Dierdren, tell me again, what do you do for the DYAD?' They heard Delphine ask.

'You work in the labs here at DYAD? That's very exciting. I will also work there, but sadly I have not seen them. Some silly policy about no lab visits until I sign my contract.' Delphine said sadly.

Cosima knew exactly what Delphine was doing, and she had to admit that she was really good at it. Soon enough she was following Dr. Dierdren to the east side of the party. Cosima led them out of her sight for a while, so that it would not look suspicious.

'Well, I think that was our cue to go.' Sarah said to Cosima.

'I think you are right.'

Cosima moved first, and soon enough she was met by Sarah, who had her hand on the pocket of her sweater (where she had her gun). Both of them hurried to where the voices were, and after sneaking behind Dr. Dierdren, Cosima kicked him in the head with her gun. Delphine just looked at her, smiling broadly.

"Was that necessary Cos?" Sarah asked her. "I had the injection so that he would just fall asleep."

Cosima just looked straight at Delphine and gave her an innocent shrug. "Well he was flirting with my girlfriend, so I had to give him a lesson." she said playfully.

Sarah just shrugged, but Delphine laughed sweetly.

"I'm only yours ma petite chiot." she said while kissing her softly.

"Ok love birds, stop it now because here shite gets serious." Sarah said annoyingly, but still she smiled softly. 'Cal we are ready here.'

'Sure thing, the virus will be effective in 3, 2, 1...' and as soon as Cal finished counting there was a small beep and the door opened.

'Remember, although alarms and scanners are off, there will still be ground security. They communicate by walkies and do shifts every 40 minutes. Be careful and good luck.' Cal finished saying.

Cosima, Sarah and Delphine were walking around the east aisle of the DYAD institute, not quite sure of where to go. They had seen some blue prints of the building, but it didn’t help that almost all the lights of the building were off. They were moving quietly against the walls, not drawing any attention to themselves and speaking with each other through hand gestures. Cosima took out her phone and gave another look at the map.

“Ok, so we should be turning left on the next hall.” She said quietly.

Delphine and Cosima nodded, taking out their gun just in case because they were going in blind. At first they did not hear it, but soon enough there were voices in the hall, laughing and talking loudly. Sarah looked at her watch and exhaled angrily.

“They are doing their shift 20 minutes earlier.” She hissed.

“Probably because of the party.” Delphine whispered back.

“We need to keep moving or we won’t have a way out.” Cosima said anxiously.

The three nodded, and decided to take them out. Cosima saw that Delphine took out a small weird metal box out of the back of her shoe. When she pressed a bottom she could see that the men were getting their headphones out of their pockets and screaming in pain. Soon enough Sarah threw herself at them and started to knock them unconscious, followed closely by Delphine who was taking care of the walkies. Cosima saw that one man was coming towards her, and while moving out of his way she bent to the floor and kicked him in the groin, making him lose his air. After that it was easy pie. Cosima could see that Sarah was grabbing one man by the jacket, while Delphine had her gun pointed at him. She quickly pushed the bottom again and the static from the walkies was gone.

‘Group Antilope, confirm us your whereabouts.’ They heard through the radio.

“Say something else and she will blow your brains out of your head.” Sarah told him quietly.

“I think she means it.” Cosima said while smiling. “You know how moody French people can be.”

This made the man get scared, and when he saw that Delphine took the safety out of the gun he motioned Sarah to get him the walkie.

‘Antilope 1 here, all clear.’ He said while looking scared.

Delphine started to put the lock in her gun again and the man calmed, but then Sarah took her gun out and knocked him out.

“Let's keep moving before they notice the mess.” Cosima said while going forward.

They went inside the office, careful enough to not leave anything that would make them realize they were there. Cosima was going through the drawers of the office, fastly reading for key terms. Delphine was plugging the pen-drive that Cal gave them into the computer and downloading all the files. Sarah, meanwhile, was looking at the clock.

“15 minutes left until the system reboots.” she said worried.

Cosima was still looking around, until she found a folder titled _Beraud, Beraud and Leekie._ Surprised she took it out and started to look at the front page, which said: _Project Leda: Implications in Real Life._ Cosima yelped excitedely. 

“I think I found something.” she said while she gave the folder to Sarah. She looked at it and then gave it to Delphine.

“This has schematics, results from tests and testimonies from the different doctors that were involved in the project.” Delphine said fast. “I think this, with the data that we are getting from the computer is enough for now.”

Sarah and Cosima nodded, both getting up and looking around the hall. Seeing that it was clear they motioned for Delphine to move forward. Cosima was following them closely from behind, making sure that no one would sneak up on them. After a couple of minutes they made it back to the party, Delphine carefully placing the folder behind her back. They had to leave soon or they would be caught in the middle of a security fiasco. The three of them started to move, through different roads, to the meeting point. Cosima was walking around, silently hoping that the rest would make it out too, that was until she heard a voice in the middle of the hall. Cosima turned around to see who was calling her and soon enough she saw Scott approaching her.

“Cosima, what are you doing here?” she heard him say surprised.

Cosima had to think fast. “Well, what are you doing here?”

Scott smiled. “I got invited to the party by a doctor, which is totally awesome. What about you? I thought that only doctors could invite guests.

Cosima was panicking, she knew that she had to think of a doctor that Scott knew so that he wouldn't start to ask questions. She looked around the room and from afar saw Delphine walking around, the folder behind her back. She made a decision.

“Dr. Cormier invited me.” she said loud enough to make her turn towards her. In her eyes there was a hint of doubt, but then she smiled when she saw her calling her.

“Woah.” Scott said surprised. “I didn't know that you kept talking with Dr. Cormier.”

At this point Delphine was standing right next to her,not sure of what was going on. Cosima moved her arm and hugged her tightly, which made Delphine look surprised. _Pretend that this is all normal,_ she thought. As if reading her thoughts, Delphine hugged Cosima too.

“Well, you could say that we did more than just talk.” Cosima said while kissing Delphine on the cheek.

Both of them could hear Sarah complaining about not being notorious, and that Cosima always did the opposite of what she said. Delphine agreed with Sarah, it was too dangerous to draw too much attention on them, but Cosima kept smiling.

“Well, again woah.” He said. “We should hang out sometime, like on a double date.”

Double date, Cosima started to think they heard a voice.

“There you are, Scott.” she said while approaching Scott from behind. He smiled stupidly and Cosima was left speechless.

Delphine realized this and she took control of the conversation.

“It's a pleasure, Dr...?”

“Dr. Rachel Duncan.” She said while smiling knowingly.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really recommend you to listen to the song Bad Girls by M.I.A during the infiltration and spying scene. Hope you like it.


	11. Decode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter a little bit longer, hope you like it and sorry for the wait :)

'Bloddy shite, I can't believe she is here.' was the first thing that they could hear through their communicators. Cosima blinked again, hoping that this was all a bad joke played at her, but it wasn't. Right in front of her, with a smug on her face was the same Rachel Duncan that she ran from four years ago. Cosima gasped, needing air to fill her lungs and calm her down. She felt Delphine's hold tighten around her waist, as if knowing what this woman meant to her. But then, she never talked to Delphine about her, not because she didn't trust her, but because she hated to remember those sad days.  _Yet here they are, Delphine protecting her as always._

"Pleasure to meet you, my name is Delphine Cormier." she answered shortly while shaking Rachel's hand.

Rachel smiled, and then looked at Cosima, her expression softening a little bit?

"And my name is Cosima Niehaus." Cosima said while shaking her hand too.

"Pleasure to meet you both." she answered back. She looked at Scott. "I was looking all over for you."

Scott was smiling like a fool, too star struck because a woman like Rachel was hitting on him, and had actually invited him to the biggest party of the year. Cosima just felt bad for him, kinda knowing that she felt the same thing at the beginning of the relationship.

"But you see, I am so thirsty. I would kill for a nice mimosa." she said seductively.

Scott's smile became even wider. "I will go get you one." he said while leaving the three of them.

"What are you doing here Rachel?" Cosima said angrily.

"Well, the same thing you are, of course. Just enjoying the company of my date." she smirked.

"Like hell you are." Cosima almost spat. "I don't know what kind of illusion you have, but we will leave and you will stay here with Scott, but if you even touch a hair of him, I will kill you with my bare hands."

Rachel just looked straight, analyzing the situation. Cosima saw how Delphine was positioning herself so she would have a better hitting angle, and from afar he saw Sarah approaching with some drinks as a cover.

"I guess I am at a disadvantage here." She said calmly. "Perhaps we will meet soon."

Delphine was angry, and against her better judgment she approached Rachel slightly. "Who sent you? Was it Leekie?"

Delphine confirmed her suspicions when she saw her eyes flinch a little.

Rachel noticed it, and she knew that she couldn't lie anymore. "He is upset, his favorite toy was taken away from him, and he wants it back no matter the cost. It's not personal, just orders." she added playfully.

Delphine hissed angrily." I love her, and if you even think about getting close to her, it will be personal."

Rachel just looked straight, Delphine returning the stare without fear. They were interrupted when a man shouted fire and the crowd was moving towards the exit. They must have been close to the time limit, Sarah using escape C as their way out. Cosima grabbed Delphine's hand and started to move towards the exit. They were able to catch one last glimpse of Rachel through the crowd and then she was gone. They were running towards their car, which they left a couple of blocks away from the party, Sarah already waiting for them anxiously.

"That was too fucking close." she screamed angrily.

"You tell me, I just saw the fucking ghost of the death." Cosima smirked angrily.

"On happier notes." Delphine said silently. "I got the folder and the pen-drive." she smiled softly while giving them to Sarah.

Sarah was relieved, Cosima could see. But then she looked at Delphine, who was calmly talking to her about giving everything to Cal. She was surprised when she saw Delphine react that way towards Rachel, as if she knew exactly who she was and what she had done to Cosima. Now it came to her, Delphine _did_ know about Rachel, Sarah probably telling her at some point of their conversation the other day (how they had gotten so close still escaped her). And even after knowing that, Delphine had been polite enough to not question her at all, instead waiting for her to open to her about it. She smiled softly, realizing how lucky she was to have Delphine by her side. Still, she was worried about Rachel's presence. She knew that something bigger than what she thought was happening. Now, she was questioning everything about her life in the states. She needed answers, and that folder in her hand could possibly have them. She went towards Delphine and Sarah. 

“Before we give the folder, do you think you could let Delphine and me read it?” she asked Sarah shyly.

“Given that the two of you are the doctors of this little party, be my guest.” Sarah simply said. “Now let's get out of here, I want to go home.”

Cosima nodded and she got on the back of the car with Delphine, Sarah driving. Cosima was expecting her to do one of her usual comments such as 'Am I your fucking driver now?' but Sarah quietly kept driving. She could see that Delphine was burning with questions, but before she said anything she grabbed her hand.

“When we get home.” She told her quietly while kissing her hand.

Soon enough they were at Sarah's place, and as soon as she got down Cosima took her place as the driver and Delphine went to the front. Sarah stopped and went back to talk to them.

“Please be careful.” she said while looking at Cosima. “Both of you.”

Cosima was pleaseantly surprised, and she could see that Delphine was too, smiling broadly from side to side.

“First thing in the morning we will come to meet you.” Cosima said while giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Hopefully with answers.”

Sarah nodded. “I will give Cal this right now so he can start analyzing it.” Sarah said.

Cosima and Delphine said goodbye again, and Cosima was driving as fast as she could.

“Your place?” Delphine asked her. “Mine is out of the question.” she said angrily.

“Sancto Sanctorum.” Cosima simply answered.

* * *

Delphine was nervous during the ride to the cottage. Cosima was driving too fast for her liking, but she understood how worried she was, and the safest place that they both knew was a little too far for their liking. During that time none of them said a word, Delphine too shocked with what had happened at the DYAD party. The person that she least expected to meet was Rachel Duncan, and the look of fear that Cosima had when they made eye contact made her cringe and shield her. She did not regret the words she said to her, she would do it again, but the fact that Leekie sent her made her be more scared of the role that he had inside this whole conspiracy. She laughed a little bit when she realized that she was calling him Leekie,  _Cosima's remarks already becoming her own._ She knew that she would do anything to protect Cosima, and now more than ever she was not going to let her out of her sight. Rachel Duncan was more dangerous than what she thought, and the fact that Leekie hired her meant that she was capable enough.

They arrived to the cottage and Cosima took the key out of the mug that kept it hidden. Delphine nodded her discontent with how easy it would be for anyone to get inside. Cosima just shrugged.

“Sorry.” She said embarrassed. “Because no one ever comes, security is not one of my biggest concerns.”

Delphine just nodded, stopping Cosima from going inside. She took out her gun and smiled softly. “Just in case, I'll go first ma cherie.”she said while going inside the apartment. When she checked every room and was happy to find everything clear she motioned for Cosima to come. She went to the table and opened the folder that they got from the DYAD party, desperate to know what happened. There was a small introduction and abstract of the experiment. She inmediately started to read, not noticing that Cosima just stayed still.

“You know, I'm very capable of defending myself.” she said mockingly while taking her gun out. “I had to before I met you.”

Delphine looked up and saw Cosima with her gun in her hand, challenging her. She smiled softly and stood up, going to where Cosima was standing. While kissing her lips, Delphine softly took her gun out of her hands and as soon as she did she playfully dismantled it and pointed it at Cosima.

“Too easy.” she whispered against Cosima's ear, a soft whimper escaping from Cosima's mouth.

“That's so not fair.” Cosima said quietly.

Delphine was tempted to stay there and keep kissing Cosima, but then she remembered the whole reason for them being in the cottage, and even if she understood, she still wanted to know who Rachel Duncan was. She decided to move away from Cosima and go sit to the kitchen to get ta glass of wine. She saw Cosima look at her with surprise, not understanding Delphine's reaction.

“I know what you are probably thinking.” Cosima said while approaching her. “And it's ok. It wouldn't be normal if you weren't curious.”

“Cosima, I really wouldn't ask unless you were ready. But what happened today...” she started to say but Cosima stopped her.

“I wanted to tell you, but now I kinda think that Sarah already filled you in with the basics.” she said while smiling.

Delphine felt embarrassed. “I'm so sorry for not telling you that I knew Cosima.”

Cosima just smiled at her, and motioned Delphine to sit right next to her in the living room. Delphine obliged, and soon enough Cosima was holding her hand and making small patterns with her finger.

“I met Rachel when I was 19 years old and just finished my bachelor's degree. She was charming, and soon enough I was head over heels for her. She was always authoritative and demanding, but also very driven. Still, as soon as we were together, she changed completely. She became possesive and mad at me, like if she was with me because she had to and not because she wanted to. I wanted to go away, but she wouldn't let me. It was a living nightmare.” Cosima said scared.

Delphine just looked at her and hugged her, understanding her fear. She had felt the same way with Leekie, always scared but never allowed to leave.

“But then my parents died and everything changed. I felt that I didn't have any care in the world and I stopped studying. I went to live with my sister Sarah and left Rachel without saying a word at all. She looked for me, she tried to contact me, but I never answered, and for the first time in a long time I felt at peace, and up until tonight I never saw her again.”

“Now I know that Rachel was never another exchange student from the UK. You know, I always felt that she was monitoring me, like a mark of a field experiment that they needed to keep tabs on.”

This left Delphine speechless, suddenly remembering something that she read from the file. “Say that one sentence again Cosima.” she urged.

Cosima looked surprised but complied. “She was monitoring me like a mark of a field experiment?”

“That word, monitoring, I saw it on the abstract of the folder.” she said while moving to the table to get the file, suddenly looking for the page where she found it. As soon as she did she went back to the living room and started to read out loud.

' _In order to see the capability of the subjects to blend in and perform in society, selected families were chosen either as surrogates or adoptive parents that would need to report monthly about the development of the child. As soon as they were old enough to make their own decisions and claim independence from their parents, a designated member from DYAD, also known as a monitor, would enter into this person's life and try, no matter the way in which they do, to fully get involved with the subject. By involved we mean that they are part of the life of the subject, but not influence their actions. Reports are expected from the monitors monthly, and if the monitor is compromised then further action is required. Self-awareness does not mean that the experiment is a failure, but that the subject has reached a new level of understanding about its nature, which needs to be addressed by the DYAD.'_

“There is also a list, of people that the DYAD was monitoring, but then there are some asterics that refer that the person is not a clone but still required to be monitored by the DYAD.” Cosima said while taking the folder from Delphine and highligthing names. “There I am, Helena and Sarah.” she said. She stopped to look at Delphine. “Alison Hendrix is on this list too, without an astheric.”

“So she is one of you.” Delphine said surprised. “Do you think she is aware?”

“I gues we will find out tomorrow with Sarah because there is an address listed and the name of her monitor, who turns out to be your mark, Donnie Hendrix.” Cosima said quietly.

Delphine looked at her, knowing that there was something that Cosima was not telling her. “Cosima, I know there is something else that you are not telling me.”

Cosima looked straight and took a deep breath. “You are also on the list, Delphine. And it says here that your monitor is Aldous Leekie.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Decode by Paramore.


	12. Dark SIde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little bit longer, hope you like it :)

Cosima could see how Delphine lost focus and got out of the couch, not believing what she heard.

“But you have an asterisk right next to your name.” Cosima said, trying to calm Delphine down.

“That's not what worries me Cosima.” Delphine said while going to the kitchen. Cosima could hear her speaking angrily in french, but the only thing that her middle school French could understand was 'Je suis une stupide'.

“Delphine come back here.” Cosima asked her, her voice soft with fear.

She saw that Delphine paused her rant and after taking a deep breath she went back to the living room and sat next to Cosima.

“Je suis desole Cosima.” she apologized. “I just feel so stupid. All of this time I thought that I was fighting against the DYAD but in reality I was just one more pawn.”

Cosima hugged her, understanding how she felt. The DYAD had been responsible for all of their misfortunes, and this made her angry.

“We need to do something, stop this.” Cosima decided. “We will not let them get away with it.”

She saw Delphine nod, resolution in her eyes. “Who else did you find as monitors?”

Cosima took the folder and started to read again. “My monitor was Rachel Duncan. No surprise there.” she said quietly. “But I guess I feel better now, knowing that it wasn't my fault that she never loved me.”

Delphine nodded, holding her hand again and kissing it softly. “And that was her biggest mistake. If not, I would have probably never met you. You are just too good to be true ma cherie. Sometimes I wonder when I will wake up and realize that you are part of a wonderful dream.”

Cosima smiled, and grabbed Delphine's face, kissing her softly and sweetly. “Then don't wake up. Don't ever leave me alone.” she whispered, suddenly aware of how much she needed Delphine.

She saw how Delphine looked at her, with love. “Jamais.”

“Good.” Cosima said. “Because I want you right next to me when we take the DYAD down.”

"But before we do that, may I suggest we do something else?" Delphine said quietly.

Cosima waited, and she saw Delphine going to the bedroom, on her way taking off her dress. She stayed there for a while, and soon enough she heard the water of the shower.

"Will you come to help me cherie?" she heard Delphine ask her from the bathroom.

She was practically running towards the bathroom, clothes falling on the way. When she finally got inside the shower she quickly kissed Delphine and pushed her against the glass, making her growl softly.

"Your wish is my command." she whispered softly and kept on kissing her.

* * *

 

Aldous was sitting in the living room of his hotel room, waiting for news about the DYAD party. He was asked by Rachel to miss the party so that the three women would feel more comfortable and pursue their plan. Hours have gone by and still no one has mentioned a thing, which has him worried. His fears suddenly stop when someone knocks at the door and his chief of security tells him that it is Rachel Duncan. 

“Show her in, and leave us alone.” he said quietly.

In comes Rachel Duncan, analyzing the room while going towards the couch. She sits, not a care in the world.

Aldous patiently waits for her report, but when she just stays there quiet his anxiety wins.

"Is it done then?" he asked. "Is Cosima Niehaus dead?"

Rachel looked up, fake innocence in her eyes. "Dead? But Aldous why would I do that?"

"Because that's what we agreed on!" he screamed. "Because I have folders of evidence that show you stealing data from the DYAD."

"Really?" Rachel asked him while standing up. "Are you sure that my name is the on those files?"

Aldous opened the folder, and as soon as he started to read it out-loud he froze. His name was instead of Rachel's and he could see her smirk.

"This is clearly a set-up. I would never steal from the DYAD. I AM BASICALLY THE DYAD." he screamed again, tossing the folders on the floor.

"No, you were just the one that had the biggest balls and decided to set on fire the lab where you worked with the Berauds." Rachel said darkly.

"That," he said lowly. "was an unfortunate accident."

"Unfortunate was that they didn't have the same heads-up that you had."

"Be careful with your accusations, Miss Duncan. You should better, especially what I can do to you."

Rachel walked around the room, circling Aldous. She laughed softly. "You see, I actually was hesitant before, knowing how well you treated your friends." she said sarcastically. "But now, I'm amused, because you see, you WERE capable of doing something to me." she said while looking taking a gun out of her purse. "But not anymore Aldous."

Aldous went to the door, hitting it and asking for security to come in. When they saw them come with their guns he felt relieved. Rachel just kept looking at them all, and when she took her safety off, Aldous expected his team to fire. When they didn't he faced them angrily.

"Shoot her!" he screamed at the head.

"Oh Aldous, don't take it out on the personnel." Rachel said while approaching him. "The reason I came tonight was to inform you of the decision that the board of directors took based on compromising evidence discovered." she said while laughing, clearly enjoying herself. ' _From now on, Dr. Aldous Leekie's position as head of Project Leda will go to Dr. Marian Bowles."_ Rachel almost spat at him.

Aldous was in shock, but then he was able to speak again. "You are all in this together, aren't you. What did she offer you? I can double it." he tried.

Rachel looked at him briefly, and came close to him, the paper in her hand. She approached Aldous and grabbed his face, making him look up. "Redemption." she said as she pulled the trigger. With a loud noise, Aldous Leekie's body was on the floor, the floor filling with blood from the impact. Rachel just looked, and then she took a picture of the scene with her cell-phone. She looked up to the ceiling and saw security cameras. She made a motion for the head of security to approach.

"Clean this mess and send me the security footage of these cameras." she said while taking her stuff from the couch. She turned around and looked one last time at the scene, but still had no feelings at all. Her phone vibrated.

'Is it done?' a voice asked her quietly.

"It is done." Rachel answered.

'I told Aldous I would either get Miss Cormier's or his head. Luckily I got the one I wanted most.'

* * *

 Cosima woke up feeling happy. She could feel Dephine's body against hers, and this made her forget about all the drama that they lived the previous night. This is what she wanted all her days to be like, nothing more nothing less. Still, she wanted the DYAD to pay for what they did to her family, to Sarah's and to Delphine's. They deserved it, and she was going to do everything to make sure that this happened. She was taken out of her inner monologue when she heard her phone vibrate. Being used to all kinds of noises, Delphine started to get up.

"Is it Sarah, ma cherie?" she asked sleepily.

"No, it's too early to be Sarah." she said laughing. "Like I don't know someone who would wake up this..." she was saying until she read the name of the person that sent the text.

Delphine quickly got up to where Cosima was. "What's wrong?" she asked while going to the drawer and taking her gun out.

'I left a present for you at the front door. Best, Rachel Duncan.' Cosima whispered.

Delphine quickly stood up, and without putting anything she went to the front door and looked through the window. After looking all around the house she came back. "From what I could see there is no one inside."

Cosima nodded quietly, and gave Delphine a shirt and panties. "I will not let you go check outside unless you cover my property." she tried to joke.

A glimpse of a smile appeared in Delphine's face, and she didn't blame her. This was too dangerous, and the place where they expected to be safe had been violated. Cosima also took her gun out of her drawer, and soon enough the two opened all the doors of the house, leaving the front one for last. Delphine nodded her consent to Cosima, and right away Cosima opened the door while Delphine moved forward with her gun ready. She saw Delphine move her foot awkwardly, trying to not step on the grey box that was at the porch of the cottage. Cosima grabbed it fast and closed the door right away. 

* * *

 

"Are we going to just keep looking at it or are we going to fucking open it?" Sarah said exasperated.

Delphine understood her, herself wanting to open the box. Cosima and her had run some toxicology tests on it to make sure that it was safe to touch, and Cal checked if it had wires or any kind of device that could track their location. They had called them as soon as they took the package inside, and for a while they were too numb to speak. It was Cosima who broke the silence.

"I'm going to open it." she said while going forward.

Delphine almost stopped her, but she knew that it was a matter of time, and who better to open it than Cosima. She heard her gasp and throw the box, her face struck with fear. Delphine and Sarah were next to her right away.

"Cosima, cosima what is wrong?" Sarah screamed, too scared to control herself.

Delphine saw that Cosima pointed to a piece of paper on the floor, and when she bent down to grab it she also screamed. It was Aldous on the floor, dead. Delphine stood up, composing herself and giving the picture to Sarah, who looked at it and then ran to the kitchen where she started to puke. She saw that there was a cd on the book too, along with some files. Soon enough she gave the cd to Cal, who reproduced it. It was a security recording, and she knew this room. It was Aldous' suite. Cosima came and stood right next to her, followed by Sarah, who looked bad but resolute. Soon enough he saw him letting Rachel in.

_'Is it done then?? Is Cosima Niehaus dead?'_ they heard him ask Rachel. They were surprised by how calm Rachel was.

_'Dead? But Aldous why would I do that?'_

_'Because that's what we agreed on! Because I have folders of evidence that show you stealing data from the DYAD.'_ Delphine went quickly to the room to grab the folders that they got. They looked exactly like the ones Aldous was holding. This was all strange and wrong, too easy. Maybe it was all a trick.

"This does not feel right." she started to say.

"I know, too bloody easy." Sarah whispered.

_'Really? Are you sure that my name is the on those files?'_

_'This is clearly a set-up. I would never steal from the DYAD. I AM BASICALLY THE DYAD.'_

_'No, you were just the one that had the biggest balls and decided to set on fire the lab where you worked with the Berauds.'_

Delphine stopped moving, her heart stopped beating and she could feel all the light dissapear. She saw how everyone was quiet in the room, the look from Cosima one of huge sorrow, worried about the pain she was feeling. Aldous, the man who had been with her for years, claiming to avenge her parents, had been lying right in her face. She was going to stand up and leave, but she felt Cosima grabbing her hand, urging her to wait. She barely controlled herself to sit back.

_'That, was an unfortunate accident.'_

_'Unfortunate was that they didn't have the same heads-up that you had.'_

_'Oh Aldous, don't take it out on the personnel. The reason I came tonight was to inform you of the decision that the board of directors took based on compromising evidence discovered. **'From now on, Dr. Aldous Leekie's position as head of Project Leda will go to Dr. Marian Bowles.'**_

_'You are all in this together, aren't you. What did she offer you? I can double it.'_

_'Redemption.'_

They all screamed when they saw Rachel shoot Aldous cold-bloodily. They were scared, of what the DYAD was capable of doing, and the more lies and mysteries that were created by this video. Delphine couldn't stay in the room any longer, and soon she was running towards the sea, fully clothed and not caring. The water was freezing, but it didn't matter, that pain more welcoming that the one that was aching in her chest. She felt the tears coming down, and soon after her uncontrollable sobs of frustration. She had failed her family, too blind to see the lie. She was glad Aldous was dead, he deserved it. And this made her feel worse, because no one deserves to die that way. She never killed, preferring to use blanks submerged in tranquilizers that left her marks knocked out for hours without a memory of what happened. She kept on crying, unaware that someone else had come inside the water, screaming her name. She only noticed Cosima when she felt her hold on her skin, her lips on her cheeks, kissing her with love and whispering calming words.

"Delphine, I'm so so so sorry." she heard her voice crack. "I'm so sorry." this last one she said while crying.

Delphine turned to face Cosima and both started to cry again, showing each other all of their darkest feelings for the first time.

"This is so fucked up." Cosima whispered while holding her hand. "And again, this water is fucking cold."

Delphine smiled sadly, tears still falling from her eyes. She looked at Cosima, her petite woman who came running to the cold sea to just comfort her and be with her. She started to walk out of the water, and soon enough the both were sitting on the sand, looking at the horizon.

"I swear Delphine that I will make DYAD pay." she heard Cosima whisper to her. "I will make them pay for everything."

Delphine looked at Cosima, her heart warming up. "My parents death was Leekie's desire, not the one of the DYAD. And he already paid." she answered quietly. "I don't want to become him, Cosima: Too blinded by the future and greed that he killed his only friends."

"There is no way that you are like that man Delphine." Cosima told her. "Leekie thought that it was all a game, that people were paws and him the king."

"I don't want to die alone like him, Cosima. I don't want to give away the people that I love for my revenge." Delphine whispered while putting her face right next to hers. "I can't lose the only person left in the world that I love."

"And you won't." she said resolute. "You won't because we are going to make things right."

Delphine looked at her, not understanding what she was saying. "Cosima, je ne comprende pas."

Cosima pressed her hand next to her face. "If we are together, we are capable of anything. You know, I long ago forgot about my revenge. The only reason I'm doing this is for the rest of me's that are out there." she laughed heartedly. "So that they are save from experiencing this same shit."

Delphine smiled, unable to hold her laughter. She knew that it was wrong, the tension too much to bear, but there was, laughing like crazy and on the verge of tears. She could hear Cosima laughing along, wiping away the tears of her eyes.

"Cheeky." she said while cleaning her tears. "Je't aime."

"And I love you too." she heard Cosima whisper back. "Now let's go kick some ass."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song: Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson  
> P.D: I was actually happy while writing the scene between Leekie and Rachel haha. I never liked him.


	13. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I had a bit of writer's block, and I was not sure of where I wanted the story to go. Hope you like this new twist :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this fic, Rachel is not a clone, her role being more of a mix between her's and Paul's.

When Delphine and her made their way back to the cottage, they saw Sarah and Cal talk quietly to each other. They had the CD on their hand and were looking at the files. When they saw them they smiled sadly and went to the living room. Cosima went to hug Sarah, and she could feel the nervousness of her sister, who was pretending that everything was still under control, which they all knew wasn't. The game had changed completely, and now their enemy, Creepy Leekie, was dead by the hands of his own organization. They were back at square zero.

"We watched the tape again with Cal." Sarah said quietly, not wanting to remember. "And then we researched about Marian Bowles."

"Unlike Leekie, Marian Bowles is a quiet asset of the DYAD, brilliant from what I could obtain from her curriculum, and as soon as she enters the DYAD it all disappears. They made her a ghost."

"By ghost, you mean no contact with the outside world?" Delphine asked.

"Yes, no bank accounts, no credit cards, no utilities bills, no grocery shopping, not even gas bills. Marian Bowles is practically the opposite of what Leekie was. She is in the higher ranks of the DYAD organization, and from what I was able to see, the DYAD makes it damn impossible to track or even find evidence about their existence."

Cosima was angry. At least with Leekie they had a face, a lead, but now, it was gone. She then remembered.

"We need to find Alison Hendrix and her husband. They are the only lead we have." She said while getting up.

"Oi, where are you even going Cos? It's not like we know where they live." Sarah said.

"Actually, we do." Delphine said guilty. "It's in the suburbs."

"You gotta be shitting me. A suburban clone." Sarah said sarcastically.

"Right, and I bet that Rachel knows the same information that we do and is also going to be on her way to the Hendrix's residence. So, if we can like hurry." Cosima said while pushing everyone out of the cottage. She was going to leave the key at its usual place, but she saw Delphine look at her.

"Right, security." she said while putting it instead in her pocket. "Better?"

She saw Delphine roll her eyes and then smile sweetly at her, going towards the car. Cal and Sarah were already inside, and soon as she got in they drove to the suburbs. It was a long drive, and Cosima just hoped that they could make it before Rachel and the DYAD did.

* * *

 Rachel was moving around the house without a care in the world. She had been upset when she got called in the middle of her "stress out" time. She had met this cute doctor at the DYAD party, and soon after she saw Cosima leave, she abandoned her friend and went to talk with the doctor. He was telling the group of a pair of women who attacked him in order to get inside the building, and while none believed him (he had actually had a couple of drinks), she knew that it was the handiwork of Cosima and her new girlfriend. Although she hated to admit it, the moment she saw Cosima's interaction with Delphine she had felt a sting of jealousy. The cruel thing was that she knew that she had no right to be mad or angry at either of them: She had used Cosima, and had destroyed her in the process. She never admitted it, but she felt guilty about hurting her because when they were together, Cosima was loving and caring, perhaps being the first person to treat her that way. After Cosima left her, she was hurt and desperate. She convinced herself that the desperation came because of her duty as Cosima's monitor, but the reality was that she felt alone and empty. She looked for Cosima, and when three months went by without news, she got transferred to a new mark. Since then, she had enjoyed the company of multiple people, and she was satisfied with this new way of life, well, until she saw Cosima again. She had truly been approached by Leekie, and from what she had heard from him, she had doubts about doing business with him. When he mentioned Cosima, it all changed. She knew she needed a backup plan, because she had made the decision that she was not going to kill Cosima. She was going to redeem herself, and in order to do that she needed a contact inside DYAD, a higher power that wanted to uncover all the lies of the organization. The problem was that Leekie was following her steps, which meant that she had to get rid of him before doing anything else. She was a careful woman, and she knew how to find the dirty secrets of other people. Everyone knew of Leekie's involvement in Project Leda, and the suspicions that arose after the death of the Berauds. What she didn't know was that Delphine was the daughter of the deceased doctors, and that Leekie was infatuated by her. After realizing all of these, she understood why Leekie wanted Cosima dead. What she didn't know was that the file of Project Leda had a tracker, and after a couple of days she got a visit from a rather unexpected person. Dr. Marian Bowles was a myth in the DYAD: very intelligent doctor, some even argued more intelligent than Aldous Leekie, that was one of the heads of the DYAD organization. A ghost, that lived from the DYAD and for the DYAD, only a handful of people had ever seen her, and the rest were aware of her because of her works being published and read inside the organization. So, when she saw Marian Bowles standing outside of her apartment, she quickly made way for her to enter. The woman was beautiful as well as deadly. She had white skin, followed by brown, intelligent eyes that looked around the apartment. She motioned for Rachel to follow her, and soon they were both sitting in the living room.

_"So you are the one that has been showing interest in Project Leda." she said, going straight to the point. "May I ask why?"_

_Rachel thought really fast about her answer. She knew that she got caught, and they were probably planning on disposing of her, so then what did she have to lose. "I know everything about Dr. Leekie's involvement in Project Leda. How he killed the Berauds and then used their daughter for his own little works." she said while looking at Marian. "I also know that he was planning on killing Cosima Niehaus, one of the subjects of Project Leda."_

_She could see that Marian Bowles was surprised by this last bit of information. "And how are you aware of this information, Miss Duncan?"_

_"Because he hired me to kill her." she answered simply. "I was Cosima's monitor, and I regret what I did to her during that time, so when he asked me to kill her, I accepted so I could protect her."_

_She could see Marian Bowles looking at her with a sudden interest, and after a while she motioned for her escort to come inside the room. He stood there, waiting for her orders._

_"You can go ahead and pick Charlotte from school. Tell her that I will be joining her later." she said while smiling softly at him. "Miss Duncan will give me a ride home."_

_Rachel saw the man nod and head for the door, leaving them alone again. Marian Bowles stood up and went to the kitchen._

_"I hope you don't mind if I grab something to drink." she said while opening the fridge. "Do you want something?"_

_"A glass of wine is fine." she said while motioning for the wine cabinet. "You pick."_

_She heard Marian chuckle, and soon enough she was back with the two glasses. "What I'm going to tell you now is something that will stay between the two of us. As you may be aware, my position in the DYAD is one of the highest, and trust me, it took time and effort to gain it." she said while taking a sip of the wine. "But necessary in order for this, you could say mission, to be a success."_

_"I'm not sure I follow."_

_"Well, when I joined the DYAD almost twenty years ago, I was a young university graduate, with very big dreams of fame and glory. The DYAD promised all of this and more, and soon enough we were working on this top secret project, that if successful, it would make human cloning a possibility. The other three doctors that were helping were the Berauds and Aldous." she said quietly. "When things were a theory, it was fun, but when we were succeeding and making it all a reality, we realized that we were playing with something dangerous. Sadly, Leekie has always been a man full of greed, and when the Berauds told him of their intention to reveal the project, he did the unthinkable and killed them."_

_"But I saw the files, in them it said that there were only three scientists involved in the project; the Berauds and Leekie."_

_"Well, Leekie was involved in the project, but his role was more of a director, so he wouldn't be considered as personnel, which technically means that his name would not appear in the researchers place." Marian said while placing the empty glass on the table. Rachel could see that she looked remorseful, sad about telling her this story. "The Berauds were wonderful people who didn't deserve what happened to them, especially their daughter Delphine. But I was young and stupid, and when the DYAD promised me better opportunities in exchange for my silence, I agreed." she whispered._

_Rachel looked at her, trying to see the lies underneath her, but she was unable to do so. This woman was telling her the truth. Why she was doing it was the real question._

_"Why are you telling me this now, Dr. Bowles?" she asked her._

_Marian looked up and smiled a bit. "Because I became more invested than what I wanted with Project Leda, and I need to protect the result of it from the DYAD." she said heartedly. "After the Berauds died, I thought that the project was going to be stopped, because on that fire, we lost the original geno, expecting the first batch of clones that were successful to just die of natural causes. But the DYAD had another plan." she said angrily. "And they started to use the clones to try to replicate the synthetic sequences that were created by the Berauds. There must have been 400 attempts, and none were successful, until one did survive." she said quietly while standing up._

_Rachel was surprised by this, doing the same and just questioning the woman with her eyes. She looked at Rachel kindly, understanding all the doubts that she must have._

_"Now I'm going to ask you for that ride home." she said calmly._

Rachel was leaving her apartment, hating the idea of going to the suburbs. She preferred the city more, and she was definitely not fond of young children screaming and running around. They had to make a stop before going to the Hendrix's place, and she knew that it was going to be an uncomfortable and dangerous situation if Cosima and her party arrived before her. She made the driver hurry, and soon enough they were standing outside of a very big mansion, full of gardens and very expensive decorations. It was still difficult for her to place this luxurious place with the personality of the Marian Bowles that she knew. The regretful woman that was on a crusade against the same people who gave her that mansion.

_"I still don't understand why that affects you." Rachel said while following Marian inside the mansion. "And from what I can see, the DYAD has been treating you really well."_

_Marian just nodded, understanding why she would say that. "It is true. After that incident with Leekie, the DYAD made sure that I was treated well, and now, I'm one of its directors." she said while going to the big dining room._

_As soon as she went inside, Rachel saw a small girl running towards Marian, who was smiling at the little girl with love and devotion. She could notice that the girl had problems walking, and this made her glance away for a while, feeling like an intruder in this tender moment. Marian motioned for Rachel to approach them._

_"Rachel, this is Charlotte, my daughter." she said. "Charlotte, this is Rachel Duncan." she continued while standing up._

_Rachel smiled softly at the little girl, and when the little girl smiled back at her, she froze. That smile, it was the same as Cosima's. Focusing more on the features of the girl, she saw that she had a lot in common, geometrically speaking. Marian approached them, bringing a can of colors and telling Charlotte to go draw something so that they could talk._

_"Is Rachel also a...?" she managed to say after a while._

_"Yes. She was the only success out of those 400 trials." she said quietly. "And she is aware that she is a clone." she added quietly._

_"So you are her monitor then." Rachel said quietly, trying not to disturb the little girl._

_Marian looked at her fiercely, but then she relaxed. "No, I'm her mother." she said after a while. "As I told you before, I got too invested in the Project. I got emotionally attached to Charlotte. This is why I cannot let DYAD continue, especially Aldous Leekie, what they are calling 'termination'."_

_"What do you need me to do?" she told Marian while looking at Charlotte. Marian was right, they had become too invested to not do something. She could feel the woman following her stare._

_"We need to kill Aldous Leekie. And with what I will give you, you will have enough evidence to justify your action." she said quietly. "That is, if you want to follow this path." she added while taking her hand. "After you do that, there is no going back."_

_"No, but there is redemption."_

Rachel made space in the back of the car for Marian, who was wearing a black conservative dress with black sunglasses. They shaked hands, and when Marian closed the window that connected the front to the back, she took them off to take a look at Rachel.

"I saw the tapes, and I'm sorry for having to make you do that." she said quietly.

"Don't be, he deserved it." she answered her flatly. Marian nodded. "And you gave that box to Cosima and Delphine, I assume."

"Yes I did, and I am expecting them to be also on their way to the Hendrix's place."

"Good." Marian said quietly. "Because we need all the help we can get."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although the name of the chapter is not based on a song, I recommend you to listen to You and Me by Disclosure (Flume Remix). Rachel here is a different character than in the show, and I think that is because I hoped her to be that way in the show.


	14. S.O.S

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait for this chapter and although it is shorter than the rest, I wanted to give closure to this part of the story. Hope you all like it :)

Delphine was nervous during the whole ride to the Hendrix's place. She could sense the tension in the car, everyone staying quiet and looking ahead. She could sense Cosima's hand in her own, drawing patterns around it. She squeezed it and she saw Cosima smiling softly at her. She knew that the dead of Aldous was an inconvenience for all, and now the fear became real. The DYAD was ruthless, and if they didn't doubt in killing one of its main figures, then surely they would kill them as well without a thought. Delphine knew that this meant more danger for Cosima, and although she had wanted her to stay safely locked until everything was over, she knew that Cosima would first die before staying behind, and even if it was selfish, she needed Cosima by her side 24/7. Her absence made her feel jumpy and desperate, so it was better for her to have her around, and that way she could also protect her. She had also grown fond of Sarah, and her daughter Kira was another reason why she had to protect them all. She didn't want Kira to experience what she experienced after her parents died. She was going to do everything in her power to stop that from happening, from the DYAD destroying the life of another little girl. She was taken out of her thoughts by Sarah, who motioned for a house that was at the end of the street.

“The GPS says that this is the house.” she said while looking at her and Cosima. “I don't see any cars, but still, Cal and I will go do a perimeter check while you two go knock. The exit word is 'silly twit'.” Sarah said while laughing softly, joined by Cosima.

“Good luck you two.” she told Sarah and Cal, who smiled softly and took their guns out.

“Don't do anything stupid.” Sarah told Cosima. “And you, don't let her do anything stupid.” she told Delphine while grabbing her shoulder.

“I won't.” Delphine told her while smiling and grabbing her hand.

They parted ways, and Delphine took her gun out of her bag and managed to take the safety off in a matter of seconds. Quickly, she placed the gun inside the right pocket of her jacket, where she would have enough time to take it out if needed. Cosima looked at her, and smiled, deciding to also take her gun, but with the safety on, and place it in her pocket. Delphine saw that she also took out of her a bag a brown paper-bag, which she quickly placed on her left pocket. Delphine questioned her with her eyes, and Cosima laughed.

“Just in case we need to make a run of it.” she said softly.

They were in front of the house, and Cosima took a couple of breaths before knocking. Through their communicators they could hear Sarah and Cal clearing the perimeter, and after the last clear came through, Cosima ringed the bell. It was a couple of seconds before the door opened, and right in front of them there was a short woman with light brown hair who looked just like Cosima. Both of them stared at each other, analyzing themselves. Cosima was the first one to break the silence.

“You must be Alison Hendrix.” she said lightly while stretching her hand.

The other woman looked at it before squeezing it. “I am, and you must be Cosima.” she said quietly.

Cosima and Delphine looked at each other, concern in their eyes. They could hear Sarah also worried.

“How do you know who I am?” Cosima asked her quietly.

“They told me you would be coming.” she said while looking outside. “And to tell you that they just want to talk.” she motioned for them to come inside the house.

Delphine looked at Cosima, asking her what to do. She could see Cosima thinking it carefully.

'Do not even think about going in.' Sarah warned them while running. 'We are getting the car and leaving right now.'

“No more running.” Cosima said, and took a step inside the house. Delphine had to react, and instead of taking her gun, she followed Cosima inside.

Alison was leading them to the living room, and in moments they saw their unexpected guests. In the couch was a woman who had brown hair and kind eyes, who motioned them to come forward. Delphine tensed when she saw that right next to her was Rachel Duncan, who just kept quiet and looked around the room until she saw Delphine. She smiled softly, and pointed at her hand, whispering that she did not need to get nervous.

“We only want to talk.” the woman with brown hair said while raising her hands. “It's just the two of us, and I'm sure that the rest of your party has already corroborated that.” she added quietly.

Delphine froze, this remark making her realize that they were inside a trap that had no escape. They had to comply wherever they liked it or not. She took Cosima's arm and squeezed it. Cosima looked at her and sat down in one of the couches, followed by Delphine and Alison. The woman smiled and motioned for Rachel to do the same as the others.

“My name is Marian Bowles.” she said while looking at Cosima and Delphine.”And I, along with Doctors Beraud and Leekie, were the main scientists behind Project Leda.”

Delphine and Cosima looked up at her, suddenly forgetting about the imminent danger of their position.

“You knew my parents?” Delphine asked her quietly.

Marian looked at her sweetly, nodding. “I did, and they were wonderful people, Delphine. The reason they were killed was because they were trying to make things right, trying to make the world a better place for their daughter who they truly loved.” she whispered.

Delphine could see that this woman cared about her parents, and in her eyes she could see a couple of tears. She was speechless, not expecting this reaction from her. Cosima also looked at her with surprise, and let the woman control her emotions before asking her another question.

“Sorry for asking this, and it may sound rude, but why weren't you in the hospital that day?”

“Because I made the terrible mistake of taking the DYAD's side, a decision that I have regretted ever since.” she said while taking out a folder. “But I knew that they only way in which we could take the DYAD down was through the inside. Now, I'm in one of the highest positions and have a big sphere of influence. The moment to make our attack is now." she finished while looking at Cosima and Delphine.

"How do we know that we can trust you?" Cosima asked her after a while.

"Because I also have a lot to lose if DYAD is successful." Marian said softly, motioning for Rachel to go to the bedroom. After a while she came out with a small girl, who looked around the room with interest.

Delphine just stared back, not quite understanding, but when she looked at Cosima, she saw her breath hard, not able to control her reaction. Delphine could hear Sarah ask them what was going on through the communicator, desperate that no one was answering her.

"But I read in the files that Project Leda was terminated." Cosima stuttered.

"Officially it was, but as you can see it clearly wasn't." she motioned towards the girl. "Charlotte, this are my friends Cosima Niehaus and Delphine Cormier."

The small girl nodded and went to shake their hands. "Pleasure to meet you, especially you." she said while pointing at Cosima. "And you." she added while looking at Alison, who had froze in place.

"So then you are fully aware of, you know..." Cosima started to say. The girl nodded.

"Just as it happened with Siobhan Sadler, I got involved in a project that I didn't understand, and now I'm too involved to turn around. Would you please help us." she motioned at Rachel too. "To keep Charlotte, and also all of you, safe?"

Delphine saw Cosima doubt, not sure of what to answer. Marian focused on her.

"Tell me, what would you do for Cosima?"

Delphine smiled softly. "Anything, I love her."

Marian smiled too. "You also got too involved."

"And what about Rachel?" Cosima said quietly. "What is it to you?"

Rachel just looked at Cosima lowering her gaze. "Forgiveness."

Delphine was still not sure about Rachel's intentions, but they knew that it was better for them to have an inside contact, a real inside contact, and Marian Bowles was this contact, who seemed to be totally in love with her daughter. She saw Cosima look at her, and heard Sarah murmur the same things. This was their chance to finish this chapter of their lives once and for all.

"We are in." Cosima said after getting a confirmation nod from Delphine and Sarah.


End file.
